Competing with Heart

By Jim Owen, Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer, Center for Cowboy Ethics and Leadership

If you’re the kind of person who cultivates Try in your life, you probably find inspiration in the stories of others. And once you start looking, you discover there are stories of Try all around us. Recently I happened on a running blog with a story I found so moving  that I wanted to share it with all of you.

The first-person account of Mike Cassidy, a runner in this year’s New York Marathon, the story starts out on a familiar note. Who among us hasn’t taken on a tough challenge, only to find ourselves with confidence faltering midstream? Although Mike is a seasoned marathoner and has trained hard, he finds himself feeling subpar this time out, and is soon struggling just to keep going against the chill wind.

It’s when he catches up to his hero, legendary runner Meb Keflezighi, that the story becomes truly extraordinary.

Mike realizes that his idol, too, is struggling to keep going after a spate of recent injuries. The vision of himself blazing past one of the best marathoners of all time fleetingly crosses his mind, but the way the race actually played out was even more amazing. Check out the photograph and you’ll see what I mean.       

But this isn’t just a story about never giving up. Meb’s humility and spirit of generosity demonstrate what it means to be a hero. Beyond that, Mike discovers that he’s not only competing for himself. “In striving to be our best,” he realizes, “we could bring out the best in others.”  His story of competing with heart gives added meaning to what Try is all about.

Cowboy Gratitude: Giving Thanks for Our Partners

by Jim Owen, Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer, Center for Cowboy Ethics and Leadership

In this season of giving thanks, the cowboy is, as always, a source of inspiration.  Throughout their history and right up to the present day, cowboys have rarely possessed much in the way of material goods.   Yet they know they are rich in their love of the earth and the sky above, their simple, rugged way of life, and their strong sense of community.  In short, cowboys remind us that the best things in life aren’t things. 

As the Thanksgiving holiday draws near, I’d like to share what I’m especially grateful for this year—that is, all the people and partnering organizations that work every day to help us get out the word that “everyone needs a code…a creed to live by,” and spread the message that character and personal principle still matter above all. 

While we at The Center for Cowboy Ethics and Leadership have big aspirations, we are a small foundation.  On our own, we have limited reach and resources.  So all along, our approach has been to share our ideas freely and let others take it from there.  

The results have been nothing short of astonishing! So many people have not only been inspired by the concepts of Cowboy Ethics, the Ten Principles to Live By, and The Try, but have also been moved to put these ideas into action in their businesses, schools, youth groups, public agencies, and community organizations.  And a few, like the extraordinary team at The Daniels Fund, have provided financial support to those groups, helping them to advance and scale their work.  

Some of our partners—like the University of Wyoming College of Business, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 4-H, Future Farmers of America, Boy Scouts of America, and Colorado Boys Ranch—I’ve come to know well through years of collaboration.  I’m still amazed that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming managed to raise the funds to build a $1 million Cowboy Ethics Club facility for teens in Casper!  And almost every week, I hear from someone who has called or emailed to let me know they are using the principles of Cowboy Ethics or The Try in programs of their own.  But we can only guess how many more are out there, living their codes and letting others know how the cowboy has inspired them, too.  I would love to hear from any and all!

So this is what I will be thinking of as we bow our heads over the Thanksgiving table. Being able to count on your “pards” is a big part of the cowboy tradition.  I’m humbled and immensely grateful to have so many I can count as mine.  

Living the Cowboy Code - It's Also about Community

by Jim Owen, Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer, Center for Cowboy Ethics and Leadership

For anyone who wants to be someone of character and live an ethical life, knowing what you stand for is essential.  But cowboys remind us that having a code to live by isn’t enough.  What matters is living your code, and how it shapes the decisions and choices you make each day.  As cowboys say, it’s about actions…not words. 

So I was very much struck by a recent op-ed piece in the Casper Star Tribune, forwarded by Mark Zaback, CEO of Jonah Bank, one of the first companies to embrace the Code of the West as the foundation of its business practices.  Called "Living up to our Cowboy Code of Ethics," it was written by Kim Summerall-Wright, Executive Director of the Casper Housing Authority.  With sobering statistics, it makes a strong case that homelessness is a worsening crisis in our communities. 

Beyond that, the op-ed reminds us that the principles of the Code of the West—adopted by the State of Wyoming as its official state code—call upon on us to help work toward solutions for people in need of shelter.  If we truly believe it’s our obligation to “Do what has to be done,” we can’t dismiss rising rates of homelessness as someone else’s problem.  

Of course, in these challenging times, our communities face a host of unmet needs, and we can’t each be directly involved on every front.  But the point of the op-ed still holds.  As we think about principles like “do what has to be done,” “live each day with courage,” and “know where to draw the line,” we need to look beyond the orbits of our own daily lives.   In the days of open range, a cowboy was someone you could count on to lend a helping hand when needed, and that hasn’t changed.  The Cowboy Code has always been about how we live, not just as individuals, but also as part of our community.  

The Goldman Sachs Story: Why Every Business Needs a Code to Live By

by Jim Owen, Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer, Center for Cowboy Ethics and Leadership

As someone whose first career was in the investment industry, I was fascinated to read the Wall Street Journal’s recent review of a new book called “What Happened to Goldman Sachs.”  Written by someone who, like the book’s author, had formerly worked at the firm, the review underscores the perils of corporate leaders who forget—or never bothered to define—what their companies stand for.

In an industry populated by smart, successful people, Goldman was for decades at the top of the heap in terms of reputation and cachet, not to mention profitability.  The key to its success was its culture.  Goldman was known for recruiting the smartest, most driven people on Wall Street, and demanding that they operate with an almost superhuman work ethic.

The firm excelled at finding ways to profit. But it kept greed under control by placing one business principle above all: “our clients’ interests always come first.”   Partners made sure this principle was heeded, knowing that any hint of a conflict of interest or unethical behavior would put the firm’s sterling reputation and its fortunes at risk.   

The book chronicles how Goldman’s culture eroded and morphed over time, causing many of its most talented people to leave the firm. It’s a classic tale of “the slippery slope.”   Regulatory changes reshaped the competitive landscape, leading Goldman to dump its circa-1869 private partnership structure and go public. Suddenly, the firm’s long-held business principles had to compete with the goal of delivering high returns to shareholders. At the same time, as federal regulators issued a flurry of new rules, “Goldman’s standards drifted away from its business principles and toward the management of legal liability,” as the book reviewer puts it.

I’m sure many of Goldman’s former partners were saddened by allegations that Goldman used clients’ information to trade against them, as came to light in 2010 and 2011, and by the subsequent Justice Department and SEC criminal investigations of the firm.  Among other things, Goldman was accused of knowingly peddling “junk” securities to investors, a breach of trust that showed its vaunted “clients-first” policy had become a sham. 

Goldman has survived and, after a spate of financial troubles, continues to prosper.  But the tarnish to its reputation is irreversible, and it will never again be held in the esteem it once enjoyed.  Goldman is an object lesson for any business leader who doubts the importance of having “a code to live by.”  

What it Takes to Succeed – from the Employer’s Perspective

By Jim Owen, Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer, Center for Cowboy Ethics and Leadership

When you’ve got a message you want to share with the world, it’s always great to get reinforcement from thoughtful and knowledgeable people.  So I was gratified to read the Wall Street Journal’s recent interview with Bob Funk, founder of the fifth largest employment agency in America.. 

In recent weeks I’ve been out on the road, talking with audiences about what it takes to succeed in America today.  And on that score, Bob Funk and I are of like mind.  He believes that “anyone who really wants a job in this country can have one” if they meet three conditions.   First, he says, you need integrity.    That happens to be my first secret to success as well.  But that raises another question—namely, what does integrity mean to you?  Definitions vary, but to me, integrity means living by a code – the values and principles that matter most to you –and striving to make your words and actions line up with those beliefs.  (This is what our Standing Tall workshops are all about.)   

Mr. Funk lists “a strong work ethic” as the number-two requisite for getting a job. And once again, that squares nicely with what cowboys call “Try”—that is, bringing a can-do attitude and 110% effort to the  tasks or challenges at hand.  I’m such a believer in Try that I wrote a book and produced a documentary film about it.  His third requirement for being employable is that you need to be able to pass a drug test – which, I agree, is a given. 

Notice that nowhere in the interview does he mention grades, diplomas, or SAT scores.  Evidently Mr. Funk believes, as I do, that employers care as much or more about character as they do about credentials.  You can teach someone job skills, but you can’t teach someone to have integrity or take pride in their work.  Those are qualities we each have to develop and strengthen on our own.   

It’s a measure of Mr. Funk’s own integrity that in the interview, he gives his reasons for opposing ObamaCare even though its passage would likely boost his own business.  Without getting into a debate over the health care law, I want to applaud any business leader who speaks out for what he sees as the good of the country—and I hope his example will inspire others to do the same.

A Simple Question - or Is It?

by Kent Noble, Executive Director, Center of Cowboy Ethics and Leadership

If a close friend were to ask you, “What do you stand for?” would you reply without hesitation?  Or would you respond with the old “deer in the headlights” look? 

Prior to my involvement with the Standing Tall program, I’m not sure I could have articulated my views in a meaningful way.  In fact, my response might have unfolded something like this:

Questioner: So, Kent, tell me what it is you stand for?

Kent: I’m sorry—I’m not sure I know what you mean.

Questioner: I’m just curious.  Have you ever thought about what it is you stand for—you know, what are your core values—your strongest and most important beliefs?

Kent: Well, of course I have—hasn’t everyone?  I believe—I believe—it’s important for me to be the best father and husband I can possibly be—yes, that is definitely what I believe, and it is absolutely very important to me. 

Questioner: Great—that makes perfect sense.  What else?

Kent: What else?  Uhhh—well—ummm—I believe you should work hard and be honest—yes, you should definitely be honest—and you should also try to be a good person—yes, you really must treat others well—ummm—did I already mention working hard?  (Meanwhile, I would be thinking, “man, please don’t ask me ‘what else?’ again.”)

The point I’m trying to make is that before the Standing Tall program was developed, I only had a foggy notion of what it is I stand for.  Sure, it was all somewhere inside.  But I really hadn’t brought my deepest beliefs and values to the conscious level where I could easily convey them, let alone build my life around them.  

Over the last 18 months, I’ve noticed my situation isn’t all that uncommon.  In fact, now that we’re conducting Standing Tall sessions for a variety of business and community leaders, I would say very few people have spent time clearly defining exactly what it is they stand for.  If you find that hard to believe, try asking someone the question yourself.  You’ll probably find the hypothetical conversation I’ve outlined above is pretty typical.     

Could this be why we’re consistently bombarded with scandalous headlines from the worlds of business, sports, politics, etc.?  And what about the people in our lives?  Don’t we all know  good people who have uncharacteristically become involved in bad situations?   If we were simply more in touch with our most important values, would things be different?  If we identified exactly what it is we stand for, and then built those beliefs into our daily lives, might we become stronger, more confident, and more principled versions of ourselves?  

Obviously, we all have values.  But we don’t always connect with them in a profound way.  We sometimes keep our principles tucked away as opposed to fully integrating them into our lives. I think that's precisely why the Standing Tall program has taken root across the country.  People realize that they’ve never really taken the time to stop and think deeply about their core beliefs.  Our workshops guide busy professionals through the process of defining their values and putting them into action.  And, based on the testimonials we’re receiving, developing your personal code is a real “game changer,” especially if you keep it in the forefront of your mind. 

So, if you haven’t brought your strongest and most important beliefs to the conscious level, think about the difference it could make in your life if you did.   Then, should anyone ever ask you what you stand for, you’ll be able to respond, “I’m glad you asked.  Pull up a chair.” 

In Memoriam: Julia K. Anderson

When Jim Owen and the rest of the Cowboy Ethics team were deciding whom to profile in The Try, Julia Anderson – the pen name for Klaudia Birkner—immediately stood out as someone with profound life lessons to share. Marji Wilkens interviewed her for the book, returned to spend personal time with Julia, and soon joined her circle of friends and supporters.  Through Marji we had frequent updates on Julia, whose abiding spirit shone through despite her worsening physical condition. Upon learning Julia’s passing we asked Marji to write a tribute to her friend, who lived a life of Try up until the very end.               

On August 9, Julia K. Anderson passed away peacefully at her home. She was 40 years old and the strongest, most courageous person I’ve ever met.

I first encountered Julia in 2009 when I interviewed her for The Try. To me, her life looked like a tale of unmitigated woe: a difficult childhood in foster care, the onset of blindness, and then a promising ski racing career cut short by a mysterious disease that left her bedridden. I expected to find some amount of self-pity or longing for things lost. What a delight instead to meet a woman of ferocious determination with a sparkling mind and spirit.

I soon became part of a small group of friends who visited Julia regularly. I always came away amazed and grateful for our conversations. Julia was a teacher, and I was one of her privileged students.

Our little team took Julia skiing, ice-skating, to the park and on other outings. Ordinary excursions perhaps, but you have to understand that Julia’s body was like a floppy rag doll. It took an hour or more to dress her for skiing and get her into hip-to-toe metal braces. Then the arm braces went on. She looked like Ironman until we zipped up her US Ski Team jacket and she glided to the lift. On the slopes Julia was fast, sleek and beautiful. She last skied on February 23, 2013.

From Julia I learned two life lessons. The first is that hope can keep you alive. She never stopped researching her disease and treatments. She read countless medical textbooks and advised her physicians, feeding them research papers. As her beloved neurologist said, “I learned that she was always right.” Julia always believed that with the right information and right attitude things could get better.

The second lesson I learned is the meaning of “purpose.” Julia believed that we are all here to pay attention, learn, and see our life as a complete whole. Every experience, even its bleakest, darkest moments, has its place in the tapestry of life. She summed it up this way: “When I think about the past, I see that what was negative at the time turned out well in the end. Certain things had to happen for me to know what I know and be who I am.”

Since Julia has been gone I’ve tried to think about life as she did. Stuff happens. Get over it. Don’t let anyone define your limits. Nothing is impossible unless you say it is. Live fully and pay attention. Fight to the end. If all that isn’t “The Try” in action, I don’t know what is. Thank you, Julia, from the bottom of my heart.