|
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER
FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
How It Works
For many decades Rotary Clubs and Rotarians
around the world have used The 4-Way Test as
an instrument to develop respect and
understanding among peoples.
How the test works is indicated in the
following story by the Chicago Rotarian who
developed it. He suggests that you first
memorize The 4-Way Test and then form the
habit of checking your thoughts, words and
deeds with it.
The 4-Way Test has been used successfully
around the world in business, government and
schools as an effective measuring stick for
conduct, a guide to right thinking. If
memorized and constantly applied to
relations with others, it will contribute to
more effective and friendlier relationships
If you get into the habit of checking your
thoughts, words and deeds against The 4-Way
Test, experience has shown that it will help
you become happier and more successful.
Here is the story of how The 4-Way Test
came to be developed.
Story of the 4-Way Test
By Herbert J. Taylor
President, Rotary International 1954-55
Back in 1932 I was assigned by the creditors
of the Club Aluminum Company the task of
saving the company from being closed out as
bankrupt organization. The company was a
distributor of cookware and other household
items. We found that the company owed its
creditors over $400,000 more than its total
assets. It was bankrupt but still alive.
At that time we borrowed $6,100 from a
Chicago bank to give us a little cash on
which to operate.
While we had a good product, our competitors
also had fine cookware with well-advertised
brand names. Our company also had some fine
people working for it, but our competitors
also had the same. Our competitors were
naturally in much stronger financial
condition than we were.
With tremendous obstacles and handicaps
facing us, we felt that we must develop in
our organization something which our
competitors would not have in equal amount.
We decided that is should be character,
dependability and service-mindness of our
personnel. We determined, first, to be very
careful in the selection of our personnel
and, second, to help them become better men
and women as they progressed with our
company.
We believed that "In right there is
might" and we determined to do our
best to always be right. Our industry, as
was true of scores of other industries, had
a code of ethics --- but the code was too
long, almost impossible to memorize, and
therefore impractical. We felt that we
needed a simple measuring stick of ethics
which everyone in the company could quickly
memorize. We also believed that the proposed
test should not tell our people what they
must do, but ask them questions which would
make it possible for them to find out
whether their proposed plans, policies,
statement or actions were right or wrong.
We had looked in available literature for
such a short measuring stick of ethics, but
could not find a satisfactory one. One day
in July 1932, I decided to pray about the
matter. That morning I leaned over my desk
and ask God to give us a simple guide to
help us think, speak and do that which was
right. I immediately picked up a white card
and wrote out The 4-Way Test of the things
we think, say or do as follows:
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better
friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
I placed this little test under the glass
top of my desk and determined to try it out
for a few days before talking to anyone else
in the company about it. I had a very
discouraging experience . I almost threw it
into the wastepaper basket the first day
when I checked everything that passed over
my desk with the first question, Is it the
truth?" I never realized before how far I
often was from the truth and how many
untruths appeared in our company's
literature, letters and advertising.
After about 60 days of faithful constant
effort on my part to live up to The 4-Way
Test, I was thoroughly sold on its great
worth and at the same time greatly
humiliated, and at time discouraged, with my
own performance as president of the company.
I had, however, made sufficient progress in
living up to The 4-Way Test to feel
qualified to talk to some of my associates
about it. I discussed it with my four
department heads. You may be interested in
knowing the religious faith of these four
men. One was a Roman Catholic, the second a
Christian Scientist, the third and Orthodox
Jew and the fourth Presbyterian.
I asked each man whether or not there was
anything in The 4-Way Test which was
contrary to the doctrines and ideals of his
particular faith. They all four agreed that
truth, justice, friendliness and helpfulness
not only coincided with their religious
ideals, but that if constantly applied in
business, they should result in greater
success and progress. These four men agreed
to use The 4-Way Test in checking proposed
plans, policies, statements and advertising
of the company. Later, all employees were
asked to memorize and use The 4-Way Test in
their relations with other.
The checking of the advertising copy against
The 4-Way Test resulted in the elimination
of statements the truth of which could not
be proved. All superlatives such as the
words better, best, greatest and finest
disappeared from our advertisements. As a
result, the public gradually placed more
confidence in what we stated in our
advertisements and bought more of our
products.
The constant use of The 4-Way Test caused us
to change our policies covering relations
with competitors. We eliminated all adverse
or detrimental comments on our competitors'
products from our advertisements and
literature. When we found an opportunity to
speak well of our competitors, we did so.
Thus we gained the confidence and friendship
of our competitors.
The application of The 4-Way Test to our
relations with our own personnel and that of
our suppliers and customers helped us to win
their friendship and goodwill. We have
learned that the friendship and confidence
of those with whom we associate is essential
to permanent success in business.
Through over 20 years of sincere effort on
the part of our personnel, we have been
making steady progress toward reaching the
ideals expressed in The 4-Way Test. We have
been rewarded with a steady increase in
sales, profits and earnings of our
personnel. From a bankrupt condition in 1932
our company within a period of 20 years had
paid its debts in full, had paid its
stockholders over one million dollars in
dividends and had a value of over two
million dollars. All of these rewards have
come from a cash investment of $6,100. The
4-Way Test and some good hard-working people
who have faith in God and high ideals.
Intangible dividends from the use of The
4-Way Test have been even greater than the
financial ones. We have enjoyed a constant
increase in the goodwill, friendship and
confidence of our customers, our competitors
and the public --- and what is even more
valuable, a great improvement in the moral
character of our own personnel.
We have found that you can not constantly
apply The 4-Way Test to all your relations
with others eight hours each day in business
without getting into the habit of doing it
in your home, social and community life. You
thus become a better father, a better friend
and a better citizen.
|
