video 2 gentleman

 A Gentleman: Business Protocol

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With forty plus years of business experience, it is impossible to over-emphasize the importance of being a proper gentleman in the work place. 

My business career started right out of the university and “right off the farm” so to speak.  Being raised with a strong work ethic was always an asset that benefited me in the work place. 

As I attended meetings, made business calls, or went on business trips, all of those events meant leaving my wife and family at home,  putting a strain on relationships to say the least.  

It is important for a gentleman to maintain his integrity while at business events.  One of the major reasons why we see failures in families and marriages in our society orbs around men in the market place that fail to live with integrity and fail to protect the trust required while away from their family. 

Often, I have been made fun of for going out of my way to protect my integrity and keep the trust built at home. Bring it on. Men have a tendency to have “marital amnesia” while at the office or on business trips. This doesn’t have to happen. 

The covenant relationship a gentleman has with his wife is much more important than his business success.  If you focus on the covenant relationship, the business success will follow. 

The Bible says “Be faithful in little things and I will make you successful in the big things.”  Men may view their marriage as a little thing.  It’s not.  Be faithful to your wife and family. Life will be much easier and less complex in the long run. After fifty plus years of being happily married to the same woman, I can say it didn’t just happen by accident. I would credit most of that success to a faithful and understanding wife, but also, I was faithful to her and made her a priority.  

Business will always be up and down, but your relationship with your wife and family can be the stabilizing factor in your life. 

When business was down and the money was short, the love at home was long and motivated me to keep going every day.

I had a standing rule in business that I wouldn’t ride in a car by myself with a woman who wasn’t my wife.  That wasn’t always easy to do, but it did pay great rewards.  I wasn’t routinely alone with a woman where we might have conversations that would lead to something more that a business relationship.  

However, at one time I did have a lady boss who was less than sympathetic with my personal convictions mentioned above. That was a short-lived situation that ended with me leaving that company very quickly for a much better opportunity. During those days with that boss, I tried my best to inform my wife of my activities.  If I had to be in the car with the boss, I would let my wife know.  I didn’t hold anything back from my wife.  It was worth the effort. 

Another practice that always helped was for my wife and I to routinely spend time discussing and praying about business situations and opportunities. This practice kept us on the same page with business issues and added a spiritual dimension to my efforts in business. 

In business, you may have a situation at some point that will be very humbling. The harder you work at being a good worker or employee and having a good attitude about serving those around you, your humbling events will become less. 

Early in my business career, I noticed people all around me that weren’t always truthful with leaders and customers.  Watching the results of those actions, which were never positive, motivated me to make the decision to tell the truth to leaders, co-workers, and customers. This decision had a very interesting result. It gave me favor with leaders, and gave me a clear advantage with customers.  So, I would encourage everyone to “just tell the truth” every time. 

Telling the truth keeps things simple, straight forward, and produces positive benefits, including building trust.  The employee who is known for telling the truth will be given ever-increasing responsibilities and will move up on the corporate ladder. Good leaders will identify the truth teller and extend trust to that employee.  

A gentleman complies with company financial policies. 

A gentleman offers to pay for the business lunch. 

A gentleman is a student of the company’s employee policies and always complies. 

A married gentleman never rides in a vehicle alone with a lady other than his wife, unless he has an agreement with his wife concerning those situations.  

A gentleman will always make sure that his reputation is not compromised by his actions. 

A gentleman protects his integrity at all times, and as much as is in his power, the integrity of others.

A gentleman will never take an action that would compromise the reputation of a lady. 

A gentleman will never meet with a lady at work unless it is in a public place or an office with a privacy window.  This protects her reputation as well as his.

A gentleman is always observant and respectful of the needs of others. 

A gentleman will always treat all co-workers with great respect. 

A gentleman will always keep a clear line drawn between his personal and professional life, always giving respect, but never being too familiar with office workers of the opposite sex. 

A gentleman will only request that his secretary or admin perform corporate professional tasks, never asking any assistant to do the tasks that his wife would normally assist him with.  Keep your personal life and professional life clearly defined. 

A gentleman will, as much as possible, not have contact with his secretary or admin after office hours, unless his wife is aware of the communications. 

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