The man was Herbert J. Taylor who surveyed the way the company did it’s business, which was the sale of aluminum pots and pans. The nature of the industry was fraught with unethical business practices. To bring the business out of bankruptcy Taylor knew that he had to change the way business was conducted. Ultimately he developed a very simple business philosophy that all employees were to follow in all of their business dealings with customers, suppliers and associates. The philosophy changed the business, turned the business around and ultimately brought it out of bankruptcy.

The business philosophy is a simple four step decision making tool. It didn’t tell people what to do or how to think, but it did give them a tool to use in all of their business dealings. The tool is now well known to anyone that has ever associated themselves with Rotary International. It is simple; The Four Way Test. The tip is to use this simple decision making tool in your life and see if it doesn’t make a difference. As people, we must all stand by our personal honesty and integrity. This is a handy and simple test of what you say, do or think. Give it a try in your life.

The Four Way Test

1. Is it the TRUTH?

2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3. Will it build GOODWILL and better friendships?

4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

By the way, this tool made Herbert Taylor a multimillionaire in the 1930s. So it’s also a very profitable way of doing business.

– Author Unknown