Week 6 - Honesty

This week in class we had the opportunity to listen/read an article from President Gordon B. Hinckley entitled "Stand True and Faithful" (April 1996), there was one particular part of the talk that really made me think a little deeper into its meaning and what it means to me in regards to a career in business, President Hinckley said this in according to honesty:

"We believe in being true. How very important it is to be true to ourselves. Each of us has a thing we call conscience. We know the difference between right and wrong. We do not have to be instructed concerning what is good and what is evil. I think we know that. We know when we have done the wrong thing, and we suffer pangs of conscience. We know when we have done the right thing, and we experience a sense of happiness. To be true to ourselves means being an example of righteous living in all situations and circumstances."

I think that in business people try to deny this feeling, the feeling or conscience of knowing "right from wrong". I have met people the phrase often of "Business is business, my personal life is personal". I have never agreed with this mentality or attitude, part of what I think makes good business is being "personal", finding the way to offer the customer the feeling of security knowing that you are considering them the way you would like to be treated and if there is anything I have learned in the business world it is that "nobody likes to get taken advantage of", when they do they will not forget it.

Going back to President Hinckley's quote, "We do not have to be instructed concerning what is good and what is evil, I think we know that", I think right there "the hammer hits the nail" in that we don't need to wait for an instruction. Doing the right thing is as simple as it sounds "do the right thing" and I really think if we have that mentality honesty does not become as large of an issue. Now that doesn't mean there can be differences in opinion on how something is done between one person or another, but it would mean something if either way that both people were simply trying to "do" the right thing. I can also say from my personal experience that doing the right thing as President Hinckley promises will provide a "sense of happiness", it really does and additionally people will remember what you did and that hopefully will continue a cycle of "good".

Remember "Honesty is the BEST Policy", still going to be my motto.