Loyalty: The Golden Rule of Business

By Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

If you are employed by someone or serve under someone's authority, it might help you to remember these rules as penned by Elbert Hubbard.

"If you work for a man, in Heaven's name, work for him. If he pays your wages which supply you [with] bread and butter, work for him; speak well of him; stand by him and stand by the institution he represents. If put to the pinch, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness."

"If you must vilify, condemn, and eternally disparage - resign your position, and when you are outside, damn to your heart's content, but as long as you are part of the institution, do not condemn it."

"If you do that, you are loosening the tendrils that are holding you to the institution, and at the first high wind that comes along, you will be uprooted and blown away, and probably will never know the reason."

Mr. Hubbard's advice is good advice. If it were not, it would not have withstood the test of time. Certainly what he is saying is what we expect when we hire someone to work for us: a house painter, a yard cleaner, or a housekeeper.

We expect loyalty and the effort expended in exchange for fair pay. It's the golden rule of business, and one you should follow if you want to see your career move ahead.

Remember: When you maximize your potential, everyone wins. When you don't, we all lose.

About the Author:

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Customer Relationship Marketing Consultant, known as The Master Blog Builder, helps small businesses and orgainzations, and individuals improve their sales and profit margins using offline and online CRM options. For more information, go to masterblogbuilder.blogspot.com. Reach him at execandgroup-consulting@yahoo.com.