2 important things I took away from my stint in Interact: SERVICE ABOVE SELF and THE FOUR WAY TEST
The Four Way Test (1932 – Herbert J Taylor)
“Of the things we think, say or do:
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”
Focus on the facts. “Is it the truth?” is the basic call to honesty with which Mr. Taylor’s test begins. One need not be in business longer than a day to discover that to deal in half truths, quarter truths, or no truth at all is to introduce disaster into the mix, instant or delayed, depending on the circumstances. Were this the only question on the test, we would be well advised to take it seriously.
Focus on the folks. As truth is to the facts of doing business, so fairness is to its people. “Is it fair to all concerned?” refers to the women and men on both sides of the counter or the contract. Any equation involving people has paramount among its elements the highly subjective but never unimportant issue of fairness. To deal effectively with the second question of the test, then, requires that we walk in the shoes of those to whom we sell or service and see our mutual encounter as they see it. Rarely can this be done quickly or superficially, but the time invested promises returns that almost nothing else can guarantee.
Focus on the field. “Will it build goodwill and better friendships?” addresses the arena or territory in which we do our daily business. The man or woman who doesn?t know or care about the territory, who doesn?t feel an obligation to ultimately do business among friends will, sooner than later, be looking for another territory. Good deals, reduced rates and discounts, even monopolies and cornered markets may generate their share of traffic, but if they do not generate their share of friends, their days are numbered. If goodwill is not a portion of the payment, then the product needs a long and second look.
Focus on the future. There is a sense in which to benefit is to grow, to be more afterward than one was before. More often than not, transactions are not tidily concluded but go beyond the purchase or the process.
“Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” The repeat customer, that bellwether of healthy businesses, is inevitably the product of a positive answer to question four of the test. If benefits are small or nonexistent, this part is failed. But, when everybody wins, the benefits are elegantly distributed.
Is it true and fair, will it build friendships and benefit us all? Not too complicated a formula, in a business world that Taylor and his colleagues might find overwhelming. And yet, amidst all the complexities of these closing moments of the 20th century, these simple questions hold their ground. They are still ambitious filters through which to pass our thoughts and words and actions. They transcend the technology on which we?ve come to more than just depend. They challenge us lest we forget that in the last analysis, people are at the heart of doing business just as they have always been.
