The Four-Way Test is the cornerstone of all action. It has been for years, and it will be in the future. The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do: 1) Is it the TRUTH? 2) Is it FAIR to all concerned? 3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? 4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? HISTORY: This year marks the 75th anniversary of The Four-Way Test. In 1932, Herbert J. Taylor , a member of the Rotary Club of Chicago, was the president of Club Aluminium Company, which was facing almost certain bankruptcy. In the depths of the Depression, no one wanted to buy aluminium. But Taylor thought that if he could convince his employees to do the right thing in every situation, they might at least win sales from their competitors. “So one morning” he would recount, “I leaned over my desk, rested my head in my hands. In a few moments, I reached for a white paper card and wrote down what had come to me – in 24 words”. Five years later, Club Aluminium Company, was back in the black. Taylor always credited The Four-Way Test with its resurgence. Rotary International adopted the Four-Way Test in 1943, and Herbert J. Taylor became RI President in 1954. At one point, RI assumed the copyright for the test, but now it is in the public domain and has been translated into more than 100 languages and become synonymous with high ethical standards. MORAL CODES: Moral codes and ethics give us tools but also raise questions to be answered: How should we live? What is morally good and bad, right and wrong? Shall we aim at happiness or knowledge? Virtue or the creation of beautiful objects? If we choose happiness, will it be our own or the happiness of all? And what of the more specific questions that face us? Is it right to be dishonest for a good cause? Can we justify living in opulence while elsewhere in the world people are starving? Is going to war warranted in cases where innocent people will likely be killed? Ethics deals with such questions at all levels. The subject’s core consists of the fundamental issues of practical decision making, and its major concerns include the standards by which human actions can be judged right or wrong. WHAT THEN IS THE FOUR-WAY TEST? The Four Way Test is a simple checklist for ethical behavior. The four brief questions in The Four-Way Test are not based on culture or religion.. They transcend generations and national borders. They are as relevant today as they were 75 years ago because the issues of morality and ethical behaviour that existed then still exist today. As Rotarians, we should have The Four-Way Test in mind in every decision we make, all day long. Our utmost responsibility is to speak the truth, to be fair, to build goodwill and better friendships, and to do our very best in all situations. The Four Way Test is not only a test of Business Ethics, but a test of Ethical behaviour and personal conduct. Most people forget that the preamble to the Four Way Test is: Of the things we THINK, say or do. Can we really apply the Four Way test to our thoughts? Yes, we can. We can certainly control our thoughts. The question here, my friends, is do we really want to think good thoughts? Or do we just let our minds run wild? Remember, an idle mind is a devil’s workshop. We must consciously make the effort to control our thoughts, to rein in ourselves when bad thoughts cross our minds and to only think good things. But you may ask? What does it matter what I think? Nobody knows what I think? Nobody knows? Are you trying to tell me that YOU are a Nobody? Are you so insignificant that it does not matter to you what you think of yourself? Come on my friends, have pride in yourselves. Stand Tall in your own eyes. You must respect yourself before others can respect you. William Shakespeare wrote in his play Hamlet: “To thine own self be true And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man”. Well, after controlling our thoughts, what about the things we SAY or Do? My colleagues may argue that it is not practical or possible to observe the Four-Way Test in all situations. So, let us discuss them one by one. IS IT THE TRUTH? Before we ask ourselves this question, we ought to ask What is the meaning of truth? This is the eternal question that has plagued man since the beginning of time. No divine right can be vested in anyone to pronounce the final word or the ultimate truth. No Oracle of Delphi can tell you what the Truth is. The truth is what your Conscience tells you to do. Listen to that little voice within you. The Voice of your conscience is the voice of God Follow your conscience and you can never be wrong. This has been called the “sleep at night test”, because if you always tell the truth, you will be able to sleep well at night. Earlier I raised the issue : Is it right to be dishonest for a good cause? No, Never! Mahatma Gandhi said “The ends do not justify the means”. My opponents will argue that at times, you cannot tell the truth for fear of causing harm or distress. They will try to justify that in such situations you may have to tell WHITE LIES. My friends, there are no White lies and Black lies. There are no Half Truths and Full truths. A lie is a lie. If we want to teach our children not to lie, we must lead by example. Conceded, that sometimes, the truth may hurt, but it is still better than living in a false sense of security. Those of you who have been around a dying person will know that even a dying man wants to know that he is dying, so that he can make peace with himself and his God. There is a cliché that sometimes you have to Bend the truth, to hide the truth behind ambiguity and semantics, so that you can say “After all, I did not lie. I just did not volunteer the truth.” My friends, do not kid yourselves. The Truth will come out in the end. Remember what happened to President Clinton and President Nixon? It is better to Tell the truth and shame the devil, because when the chips are down, Truth always wins. IS IT FAIR TO ALL CONCERNED? This means taking the interest of all affected parties into consideration when making a decision. It is not only possible to be fair to all concerned, it is Essential. When making a judgment call, put aside all preferences and prejudices and be professional. Be considerate. Think of the other person. Forget the I factor. If you are a true Rotarian, Service above Self includes services for which you are paid a professional fee. As businessmen or lawyers, do not put clauses in fine print and hope that the client does not read them. Never conceal vital information from a client, or in the case of doctors, from a patient. When dealing with anyone, just think “Is this fair?” Which is more important, that you make more money or that your client gets a fair deal? Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and ask yourself whether you would then think it was fair. The ultimate test of the question “Is this fair” is to ask yourself “Am I doing unto others as I would have them do unto me?” WILL IT BUILD GOODWILL AND BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? If you can subconsciously ask yourself this question before you say or do anything, it will keep you from, either willfully or inadvertently, hurting others. Always think before you speak. Let your head rule your heart. Put aside your emotions and consider the impact your words or actions may have on someone else. My opponents may say that if someone provokes you, or impugns on your honour, you have to defend yourself and this question in the Four Way Test does not become relevant. I beg to disagree. Nobody can provoke you. You become provoked by the way you react to a situation or a remark. If your son accidentally spills coffee on your shirt over breakfast, you can shout and scream at him, and then go to work in a bad mood and leave behind a crying child. Or you can say “It is OK son, it was an accident”, and go to work in a good mood and leave behind a happy child. It is all up to you. You can determine whether you want to be happy, whether you want to build goodwill and better friendships. Even in your business and profession, if you always strike a fair deal, people will know that they can trust you, that you will not cheat them and that you are a person of credibility. You will win the respect of your colleagues and will build goodwill and better friendships. Perhaps the most useful aspect of The Four-Way test is its ability to bring ethically minded people together. WILL IT BE BENEFICIAL TO ALL CONCERNED? My opponents will probably argue that I am being unrealistic, that if you want to survive in a business world, you have to play the game, you have to follow the crowd, that you cannot always ask yourself whether it would be beneficial to all concerned. To this I ask you my friends, “What do you value in life?” Your money or your Integrity? Integrity means doing the right thing when nobody knows that you are doing the right thing. Integrity means doing the right thing even when you can do the wrong thing and get away with it. Are you so base that you value your money or your position more than you value your integrity and dignity? Have you no self respect? It is better to be a poor honest man than a rich dishonest man……….Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, Muhammad, Gandhi, & Mother Teresa were not rich in money but they all were rich in the Respect and the Adoration that their fellow human beings bestowed on them. CONCLUSION. Can you survive in the for-profit business world by embracing an ethical guide such as The Four-Way Test? Sure, you can. You can’t put a price on the things you gain, like Respect. A candle does not lose its light if it shares its light. If you always do good, good things will come your way. As Gandhi said “There is no religion higher than truth”.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 23:14:13 +0000
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