The Four-Way Test
From the organization's earliest days, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The Four-Way Test. It was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor, who later served as Rotary International president, when he was asked to take charge of a company facing bankruptcy.
This 24-word test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers. The company's survival is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The Four-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions:
Of the things we think, say or do:
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Is it the TRUTH?
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Is it FAIR to all concerned?
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Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
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Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
These medallions are among the rewards our club gives to Williston Middle School students whose teachers honor them for acting in the spirit of the Four-Way Test. At "Student of the Month" award ceremonies, to which parents and families are invited, five students from each grade are given a certificate, gift cards and a T-shirt. It's just one aspect of our Legacy Project at Williston. For more, see Our Projects.
