Life lessons from the four-way test
The other day, I attended a Rotary Club meeting, as most of my friends know I do every week like clockwork. Although I have served many roles in the Rotary Club, including Club President and some roles at the Rotary District level, my most important role has always been that of a club member. Clubs are the foundation of Rotary, and at each meeting we review our guiding principles, including the four-way test.
Use the four-way test to guide your decisions
It is a story so familiar to most Rotarians that it has evolved beyond lore and become assimilated into the genetic code of the organization. In 1932, Herbert J. Taylor, the newly-appointed president of a nearly bankrupt Chicago cookware company, believing his employees were in need of an ethical yardstick, wrote four questions on a small, white piece of paper:
· Is it the truth?
· Is it fair to all concerned?
· Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
· Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
These twenty-four words transformed the fortunes of the almost bankrupt company. Before implementing the test as a company policy, Taylor consulted four managers of various religions and beliefs — to make sure nothing in it conflicted with “their religious or moral beliefs.” He came to…
