“Truth is not a commodity or an emotion… It’s a currency for living.”Unknown
“During times of universal deceit, the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”George Orwell
“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principal that holds all relationships.”Steven M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust
I suppose my initial head-on collision with truth / trust (here in used synonymously) was just before my entrance to middle school (mid 1960”s). My father - admittingly, not my favorite role model – told me that I’d be in classes with people from many different backgrounds; and that I might be caught up in less than savory experiences. He then asked, that in the event I found myself “in trouble” the most important thing I should do is tell my parents the truth – regardless of circumstances. Being a smart-ass in process I replied, “Won’t that get me into more trouble at home?” Following a pregnant pause, my father replied, “Yes… perhaps even more… but at least if I/we know the “Honest truth, your mom and I can help you navigate through it”!
I avoided the need for executing that pledge and promise…
I entered the final years of high school during a most tumultuous time in our history: (Viet Nam- my draft # was 50, and it was suspected that everyone under 160 would be drafted), The Kent State shootings, the ’68 Democratic convention in Chicago… I was definitely going to college (for educational and political issues) … and likely somewhere in the northeast. I was applying to the then, most popular destinations.
Out of the blue I was introduced to Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA. I was totally unaware of the college. I looked it up in the ubiquitous “Barron’s guide to colleges,” and sent away for the W&L admission application and course catalog.
[To follow were my priories in choosing a school: I wanted to attend a large, coed school, in the northeast, near a big city, where I could “walk-on” to play lacrosse]. Washington and Lee fit none of the Criteria. And they had a top-6, nationally ranked, division 1 lacrosse team].
The application arrived long before the bulletin… I through it in a drawer, never to see it again… that would have required more work than in any 2 of my senior-year, high school classes.
Several weeks later the bulletin arrived. I was blown-away by W&L. The 7th oldest institution of higher learning in the US (1749). A remarkably beautiful campus with an outstanding faculty, and a history beyond compare. And, to me the most outstanding aspect of the school… It’s honor system. The backbone of the institution.
I went into the drawer where I’d dumped the application, took it out and spent the better part of a week filling-it out and completing the required essays. It was submitted over a week after the submission deadline. Chances of getting accepted… nil and none. Two months later… I tore open the envelope to the lines, “Welcome to the Washington & Lee Class of 1974.
On the 1st day of orientation in August our incoming class sat in Lee Chapel and were introduced to the honor system, and signed a formal agreement that we, like all W&L students since the school’s inception, were required to sign. In short, a Washington and Lee student will not lie, cheat or steal while a part of the University community and extensions thereon. In 4, challenging years of college: I pledged every single piece of submitted work as my own, I never knew of any individual on campus that cheated in any way – academically or otherwise, I/we never needed to lock our dorm rooms or worry about anyone stealing anything from another student of from the campus. I could go on…
One more thing… the entire honor system was and is student run. One can excoriate Robert E Lee for his traitorous activities during the Civil War. But it was Lee who, became W&L’ President following the war, and championed the honor system. He turned it over to students to manage it. It remains that way today.
My relationship to and with Washington and Lee did not end with my graduation. I’ve carried the value system absorbed at W&L throughout my career and employed it in every level of management since graduation.
More than 25 years of my working life was in the fashion industry in NY. Not a stellar example of business integrity. Yet I convinced each owner/leader of the companies I was a part of that we could do business without integrity compromise. My team(s) initiated clearly defined protocols, built a reputation of trust among dozens of the nation’s largest department and specialty stores - in both good and difficult market conditions. We built long term relationships without value system compromise. As Stephen M.R.Covey wrote in his stellar book, “The speed of Trust:” Every relationship is like a bank account… every positive step and business success foster lots of deposits into the account. A single lie or questionable transaction can severely depreciate or bankrupt the account (relationship). Mistakes happen; but they can be fixed with due diligence. Once lost, trust is difficult; and sometimes impossible to repair.
I occasionally run into W&L graduates of all ages, classes and occupations. I immediately know their character and what formed it. This is the primogeniture on which ShareTheMic and TruthIsNotTheEnemy has been framed.