Real-Life Stories of Cowboy Ethics in Action

By Jim Owen

“What you give is what you get.”  Life really does seem to work like that, doesn’t it? My job title at the Center for Cowboy Ethics is “chief inspiration officer,” and it’s one I take seriously. So imagine my delight when, right on the heels of my last blog post, on “being a difference,” a big infusion of inspiration came back to me, thanks to the University of Wyoming.

As cowboys remind us, what matters is “actions, not words.” The current edition of the University’s UWyo Magazine illustrates this beautifully with a heartfelt series on people who are having a positive impact on campus.

Each story is a shining example of one of the Ten Principles of Cowboy Ethics in action. There’s the University’s director of research support, who keeps working as he battles an incurable degenerative disease (“live each day with courage”); the gardener who lovingly tended the campus flower gardens for more than three decades (“take pride in your work”); the UW graduate who spearheaded the University’s early leadership in online learning programs (“ride for the brand,”); and seven more. The headline on the series is “Can One University Make An Impact?” The answer is clearly ‘yes.’   
 

There’s another theme that runs through these stories—that is, relationships. When you think about it, the way we have an impact on the world is almost always by making other lives better in one way or another, even if they are the lives of people we don’t personally know.

When it comes to Cowboy Ethics, the relationship that I and my foundation have had with the University of Wyoming has been pivotal to our work. Not long after the state of Wyoming adopted Cowboy Ethics as its official state code, the University did the same, at the urging of the student body. Beyond that, the College of Business uses the Ten Principles of Cowboy Ethics in its business curriculum, and also worked with my foundation to launch our popular Standing Tall ethical leadership workshops. In the process we gained an executive director when Kent Noble left the College of Business to come work with us full time.  
 

My thanks to the people at the University of Wyoming for their continuing partnership and support, and for this latest inspiration. This edition of UWyo Magazine is one I will save, re-read, and treasure. 

The New Year’s resolution I didn’t see coming

By Jim Owen

For years, “Make a difference” has been one of my guideposts for life. Through my books and speeches, as well as the activities of the Center for Cowboy Ethics and Leadership, I‘ve hoped to inspire others in ways that meaningfully change their lives. 

Now I’ve got a new mantra. Last month I was honored to be presented with an ethical leadership award from the NASBA Center for the Public Trust, a group that promotes ethical behavior within the business and professional communities. It was immensely gratifying to be recognized for the work that has been my passion and my career for more than a decade. The award itself is a handsome piece I’ll display proudly.

But what struck me most of all was the power of the words emblazoned on the award: Being a Difference, which is the name NASBA has given its program. That phrase made me realize that “making a difference” sets the bar way too low. Striving to “make a difference” puts the accent on isolated acts that may or may not be characteristic. Even someone who is profoundly unethical can make a difference simply by writing a check, perhaps salving a guilty conscience in the process.

“Being a difference” is something else again. It speaks to who you are as a person. It’s about your life, what you stand for, and the kind of example you set each day. In short, it lines up perfectly with the core message of Cowboy Ethics: everyone needs a code…a creed to live by. What’s inspiring about cowboys isn’t just that they embrace the Code of the West; it’s the way they live their code each day. This is why striving to be a difference, rather than just make a difference, is my number one New Year’s resolution.

Thank you, NASBA. Beyond giving me an award I truly prize, you’ve given me a new way to think about how I live my life.

Finding Happiness in the Holidays

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

I’m often asked, “What’s the payoff for integrity?” That’s a topic I touch on in my speeches, and I’ve got several answers. But to me, the most compelling one is that being clear on what you stand for, and living by those beliefs, makes you a happier person – it’s as simple as that. That’s long been my conviction, based on my own observations and experiences. It’s also confirmed by what we hear from those who have articulated their personal set of principles and values in our Standing Tall workshops. They say it’s a good feeling to spend time becoming a better version of yourself.

But my personal belief about what brings true happiness has now been reinforced by science. Summing up 40 years of research by social scientists, a recent New York Times article said happiness derives from three main sources: our genes, which account for about half of our personal happiness quotient; the events in our lives, which have relatively short-lived impact; and finally, our values. 

As the article noted, “It turns out that choosing to pursue four basic values of faith, family, community and work is the surest path to happiness.” And, unlike our genes or the things that happen to us, the set of values we choose to embrace is the one happiness factor in our control.  

To me, this is welcome and timely message for the holidays. It’s a great reminder that what enriches our lives isn’t what’s under the tree, but what’s in our hearts. Together with my cherished wife, Stanya, and the entire Cowboy Ethics team, I wish all of you a holiday warmed by love of family, friends, and humanity. And all the best for a joyous New Year!  

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.”