What is the Meaning of Honor

Thought question… What is the meaning of honor? The motto of the United States Military Academy is “Duty Honor Country”. We had four years to contemplate its meaning. Four years to define it for ourselves before applying it as leaders in the US Army. Countless hours were spent discussing what it truly meant to be a leader of character. We applied it in our classrooms, on sports fields, in training, and with everyone we encountered. We made mistakes, re-calibrated and tried again.  A constant refinement and work in progress to live out the ideals of “Those three hallowed words.” (Gen MacArthur in his farewell address to The Corps of Cadets). 

Character is not something we learned at The Academy. Candidates must already display an understanding and application of character even before gaining admission. But what West Point did was establish an environment where character and honorable living became a part of everything we did. The intended end-result was internalizing the motto and living it. Especially when it was hard or unpopular to do so.  

Speaking about honor is easy when there is no threat or danger of losing something. It is easy to speak about it when it is convenient. It sounds so good and so righteous.  However, it is far more difficult to live honorably, especially when no one is looking or when there is nothing to gain or profit from it.    

I want to be clear that I am not a perfect leader or a righteous person. This is not meant to be accusatory. However, it is meant to challenge readers and myself to revisit the foundations of honor and how we are leading our teams, regardless of the organization. Our decisions and how we treat others impact not only the results, but those we are entrusted to lead. 

This thought question was inspired by a classmate who approached me to clarify a situation. He came with humility, expressing his thoughts respectfully and with honor, despite a feeling of uneasiness. It was a lesson in character for me. Absolutely refreshing to witness him living the lessons we learned 25 years ago. He continues to apply it in his personal and professional life. I know he chose honor despite negative impacts to opportunities he could have had. 

His standards were set. He executed, regardless of perceived consequences. He paid the price. His choice was the right one. It made his path more difficult in many ways, but he endured. His honor was not for sale. He chose the welfare of others before his own comfort. He succeeded where many of us might have failed. 

I hope we recognize when people must make difficult choices. We often do not fully understand the struggles people endure. Easy for us to make judgements that often lead to unwise decisions. I wanted to share this perspective in the hopes that it helps others with their own leadership and life challenges. He inspired me and our discussion reinforced my own beliefs about honor and character. I wanted to write this to thank him as well. WDIM - 99.  

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