By Doug Bradle, COO
When we think of honesty, there are a number of different directions our thoughts can go: to times we may have learned it at home as a child, perhaps when we walked through the living room with our muddy boots on and didn’t fess up and had to be “taught,” or to anecdotes of famous past presidents who were renowned for their honesty – Honest Abe who walked a few miles to return pennies to a store customer or George Washington and the cherry tree.
One of our recent “Own It” Moments is a very relevant descriptor of this value and how it applies to our everyday life.
Someone left $800 in a truck stop, one of our drivers found it there, and he went to the work to track down whose it was and return it to them.
We could almost say that honesty ‘hurts’ because there could have been a lot done with that $800, and no one else would have been the wiser.
But there is an impact on the world around us when we live honestly. It refreshes other people. It brings peace to our own heart and soul. It helps us to think beyond ourselves and a short-sighted worldview.
As stated in our Values Statement, honesty builds trust – at a time in our culture’s history where trust is in short supply.
Refreshing, peaceful, considerate, and trusted are all descriptors that we want to be said about us and our impact on those around us.
