Friday Program:
Moral and Ethical Leadership in the Workplace
Mark Hough, Chair of the Vocational Awareness Committee, introduced the speaker, BBRC member John Armenia. John is the Director of City University’s Educational Leadership and Principal Certification Program. He is well situated to speak on the subject of moral and ethical leadership, since not only is that his vocation, but also because during his 23 years in Rotary, he has had many occasions to teach leadership using the 4-Way Test of Rotary.

John began with a little history of the 4-Way Test. It was created by Rotarian, Herbert J. Taylor in Chicago in 1932. He was asked to take over the floundering Chicago-based Club Aluminum Company and drew up a 24-word code of ethics for all employees to follow.

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Prelims
President Zidar, still sporting his Hawaiian tan, called the meeting to order. Tim Johnstone delivered the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, while Robin Callan introduced visiting Rotarians and guests.

David Bolson announced proudly that solely because of his public readings, BBRC contributed over 1,000 books to the Annual Book Drive.

Phil Salvatori announced that he wants everyone to attend the Retreat. In the way of extracurricular activities, Jenny Andrews and Shelley Noble are putting their plans together for the annual Edberg Shopping Award competition. Who will win the trophy this year?

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Train Wreck
Andrew Face and John DeWater, two of the Brothers Three, made a bold effort to try to support Rotary Walks! with a rendition of "Windy."

Sometimes bold efforts lead to spectacular results; sometimes they end up in train wrecks. This effort made Casey Jones’ infamous outing look like a model railroad derailment! The Brothers Two-Thirds need not reaudition.

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Friday Program:
Moral and Ethical Leadership in the Workplace
Mark Hough, Chair of the Vocational Awareness Committee, introduced the speaker, BBRC member John Armenia. John is the Director of City University’s Educational Leadership and Principal Certification Program. He is well situated to speak on the subject of moral and ethical leadership, since not only is that his vocation, but also because during his 23 years in Rotary, he has had many occasions to teach leadership using the 4-Way Test of Rotary.

John began with a little history of the 4-Way Test. It was created by Rotarian, Herbert J. Taylor in Chicago in 1932. He was asked to take over the floundering Chicago-based Club Aluminum Company and drew up a 24-word code of ethics for all employees to follow. It quickly became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relationships with dealers and customers. And the survival of the company was credited to this simple philosophy. The 4-Way Test was adopted by Rotary in 1943. In case you do not have it memorized here it is:

Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all involved?
Will it build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Prior to the program, John solicited input in a questionnaire on moral leadership published in the Reveille. One of the questions asked to recount critical incidents that were good learning experiences in applying the 4-Way Test. John took this question to each table. Not every table had a chance to report due to time limitations, but those which did provided some useful insights:

Tim Moriarty reported on a situation where a consultant had disregarded the underlying data and gave the CEO of an organization the answer he wanted to hear about the scope of a project. A Rotarian employee, knowing that the CEO’s decision would not be based on reality, found a graceful way to take the true facts to significant individuals within the company who then convinced the CEO that the program had to be scaled back.

Jim Kindsvater recounted an opportunity his company had to do critical repair work for some electronic items which had been improperly manufactured by a Microsoft vendor. As much as Jim wanted the job, he realized that it was beyond his company’s ability and told Microsoft honestly that it would not be in its best interest for Jim’s company to take the job.

Steve Lingenbrink recounted a case in which his client was injured in an accident with a bus. She claimed the bus turned into her car. The bus driver and three passengers claimed that she had turned into the bus. Steve’s gut told him that his client was telling the truth, and he took the matter to trial, where the bus driver confessed on the witness stand that he indeed had turned into Steve’s client and had paid three of his friends on the bus $100 each to back up his story.

John Armenia recounted a situation where he was asked by a headhunter for a reference on the headhunter’s client who had falsified his academic credentials. John told the headhunter that he would never provide such a reference.

A visiting Rotarian recounted a situation where he, a physician, had been asked by one of his good friends and a patient to state in writing that he was sick and therefore missed a plane flight, so that he could recoup his ticket cost. At the risk of losing a friendship, the physician refused.

John pointed out that to make ethical decisions we need to:

1. Identify our beliefs and create a shared mission and valued goals and plans;

2. Write down and enforce our organization’s core values and code of ethics;

3. Study the facts, choose between the available options;

4. Stick by our principles and let the chips fall as they may; and

5. Reflect on and revisit each decision.

Ethics is more than just acting according to the rules and laws, which are just minimum standards. He pointed out that integrity and credibility build trust, but integrity can only be achieved with self-discipline and inner trust. Integrity gives a person the courage to create, dare, care, confront, keep confidences and go for the win-win situation.

When we apply the 4-Way Test:

We draw the best from one’s values, education and critical thinking.

We value integrity, openness, reliability and courage.

We accept responsibility and expect others to do the same.

We encourage honest and open dialogue in order to find solutions to important crucial problems.

Rotary adopted a Declaration of Rotarians in Business and Professions in 1989. It is as follows:

As a Rotarian engaged in a business or procession, I am expected to:

1. Consider my vocation to be another opportunity to serve;

2. Be faithful to the letter and to the spirit of the ethical codes of my vocation, to the laws of my country, and to the moral standards of my community;

3. Do all in my power to dignify my vocation and to promote the highest ethical standards in my chosen vocation;

4. Be fair to my employer, employees, associates, competitors, customers, the public, and all those with whom I have a business or professional relationship;

5. Recognize the honor and respect due to all occupations which are useful to society;

6. Offer my vocational talents: to provide opportunities for young people, to work for the relief of the special needs of others, and to improve the quality of live in my community;

7. Adhere to honesty in my advertising and in all representations to the public concerning my business or profession;

8. Neither seek from nor grant to a fellow Rotarian a privilege or advantage not normally accorded others in a business or professional relationship.

Finally, John provided a copy of the Athenian Oath, taken by the young men of Athens when they reached the age of 17. It also embraces and embodies the precepts of the 4-Way Test:

We will never bring disgrace on this our City by an act of dishonesty or cowardice.

We will fight for the Ideals and Sacred Things of the City both alone and with many.

We will revere and obey the City’s laws, and will do our best to incite a like reverence and respect in those above us who are prone to annul them or set them at naught.

We will strive increasingly to quicken the public’s sense of civic duty.

This in all these ways we will transmit this City, no only not less, but greater and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.

PLEASE NOTE: The online survey is still available on the BBRC website, and John would still like your input. Please click here and take a few moments to complete the survey.

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Web Fun

Gotta Love Kids!

1) NUDITY
I was driving with my three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As I was reeling from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old shout from the back seat, "Mom! That lady isn't wearing a seat belt!"

2) OPINIONS
On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, "The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents."

3) KETCHUP
A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup out of the jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked her 4-year-old daughter to answer the phone. "Mommy can't come to the phone to talk to you right now. She's hitting the bottle."

4) MORE NUDITY
A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover. The little boy watched in amazement and then asked, "What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a little boy before?"

5) POLICE # 1
While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, "Are you a cop?" "Yes," I answered and continued writing the report. "My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?" "Yes, that's right," I told her. "Well, then," she said as she extended her foot toward me, "would you please tie my shoe?"

6) POLICE # 2
It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me "Is that a dog you got back there?" he asked. "It sure is," I replied. Puzzled, the
boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, "What'd he do?"

7) ELDERLY
While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, "The tooth fairy will never believe this!"

8) DRESS-UP
A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, "Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit." "And why not, darling?" "You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning."

9) DEATH
While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin. Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased. The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: "Glory be unto the Faaather, and unto the Sooonn, and into the hole he goooes."

10) SCHOOL
A little girl had just finished her first week of school. "I'm just wasting my time," she said to her mother. "I can't read, I can't write and they won't let me talk!"

11) BIBLE
A little boy opened the big family bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. "Mama, look what I found," the boy called out. "What have you got there, dear?" With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear."

12) COUNSELING
My daughter and her husband were involved in a church counseling program to heal broken marriages. One day, a lady who was also involved, came over to visit. My daughter told her 4-year-old that the lady was coming and to “entertain” her for a few moments when she arrived. The visitor sat down on the living room couch and the 4-year-old sat in a chair opposite and says “So, how’s your marriage?

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