rotary 4 way test essay topics

We are People of Action, Would you like to be?

4-Way Test Essay Winner, You have to read this…

HOW THE FOUR-WAY TEST CAN IMPACT MY WORLD by: GAVIN STRAUSS

Gavin Strauss, 4-Way Essay Test Winner Bryan Elementary School, Lexington, NE Sponsored by: Lexington Rotary Club

How does a young boy know whether he is doing the right thing or making wise choices when no one is there to give him his answer? Beliefs and actions that support the truth, are fair to others, promote goodwill, and that are beneficial to those concerned are the questions considered within the Four-Way Test. I live on a farm in central Nebraska with my parents and two younger brothers. Though I must admit that I don’t directly ask myself these questions on a daily basis, I do feel that I have a solid personal understanding of the four-way test and how it should influence my life and the lives of other people. The best way to put the Four-Way Test to work is to start at home.

Truth is the first aspect of the Four-Way Test, and probably the most necessary for life. Living my days by telling the truth, according to God and the Bible has been very helpful to me. All kids in a lifetime cause mischief and make a bad choice or two as they learn. In a bad situation, the truth can always help a child ore than it can hurt. Growing up involves a lot of mistakes, and I have learned that telling the truth is the best policy even though I may still have to face consequences. When I am truthful, it sets a good example for my brothers and helps my parents to trust me more. I have always liked to keep a good reputation, so by being truthful, I can maintain a clean record.

Fairness is a familiar idea to kids. They use the term the most when they want to try to get their parent’s or someone’s approval. Living on a farm in the country with two brothers might sound like fun, but at times it is what I consider unfair. While I like our new house and the space I have to run and play, it is in a place too far from town to walk anywhere. I do not get to ride bikes and run around the neighborhood with friends like most of the other kids I know. The aspect of fairness also reminds me of the fact that fair does not always mean equal. My parents spend a lot of time reading with my 2nd grade brother because it is not easy for him. Reading is easy for me, so it is okay for it to be that way, because he needs the help more than I do.

Good will is helping others out when I know I will get nothing in return of it. When it recently snowed a foot, my neighbor who is older, needed help cleaning his driveway. He is not a farmer with all of the tractors and big blades and tools, so out of good will, my Grandpa offered to move the snow out of his way. I can’t drive a tractor, but I have offered good will to him before by walking over to visit or keep him company, or watch the eagles that nest in the trees near his house with him. It might not be much, but it is a way to pay it forward.

I understand that being selfless and making decisions that will benefit as many people as possible is important too. Living and working on a farm is hard work. In the summer, my Dad and Grandparents change water on hundreds of acres of gravity irrigate corn and beans every twelve hours. Now that I am getting older and stronger, I realize that it is my time to pitch in and help out just like my Dad did when he was my age. Even though the temperature may be hotter than blue blazes, and my friends may be at the pool in town, I need to think about how my work will be beneficial to our family and the world. When I help out, the work gets done faster and leaves time for things like going to the lake for a boat ride or going out for ice cream with my family. The benefits that go to our crops help them stay healthy and will pay off at harvest time, making more food for people and putting money in our pockets.

So what if the young boy, who is unsure of what he should do, applies the Four-Way Test as a guide to making his decisions? He will most likely stay out of trouble! He is also sure to set a positive example for others, help someone in need, and benefit the world by making it a better place. The Four-Way Test is a good way to live life in a world of choices. I am one young boy who will put this test to better use.

The second prize winner was Lydia Connell, sponsored by the Arnold Rotary Club. The third prize winner was Linda Kuku, sponsored by the Grand Island Sunrise Rotary Club. Both Lydia and Linda were unable to attend the conference.

Service in Action

Connect, partner, and serve through rotary, a creative look at the four-way test.

By Dennis Wong, Co-Founder of the Rotarian Action Group for Peace and member of the E-Club of World Peace

The Four-Way Test is Rotary’s unique approach and process to address conflicts, solve problems and make decisions to achieve desired outcomes. It can help us be more successful in reaching mutually beneficial, sustainable and scalable solutions.

The Four-Way Test has been a go-to for Rotary members when they have found themselves in difficult situations. With the Rotarian Code of Conduct, it is an ethical and effective guide for Rotary members to use for their personal and professional relationships. Furthermore, the concepts of conflict transformation embrace many of the Rotary principles. The Test is about fellowship, empathy, accountability and trust.

Conflict transformation is the process to transform conflict into constructive change without violence. It differs from conflict resolution and conflict management approaches by recognizing “contemporary conflicts require more than the reframing of positions and identification of win-win outcomes. The very structure of parties and relationships may be embedded in a pattern of conflictual relationships that extend beyond the particular site of conflict. Conflict transformation is a process of engaging with and transforming the relationships, interests, discourses and, if necessary, the very constitution of society that supports the continuation of violent conflict.” *

The Four-Way Test is not a rigid process.  Be creative and consider flipping the order of the four questions.  Below are ideas for using The Four-Way Test and conflict transformation concepts for constructive change without violence.

• Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? FELLOWSHIP . Rotarians are known for being sociable and building relationships.   Ensure the process is civil and there’s a feeling of respect and openness to ask questions that can lead to creative and innovative solutions.  Discuss and agree on desired outcomes.
• Will it BENEFICIAL to all concerned? EMPATHY . Have an open mind and a curiosity for new ideas, novel applications and different point-of views. Consider many options and build on different ideas. Come to mutually beneficial solutions that are sustainable and scalable.
• Is it FAIR to all concerned? ACCOUNTABILITY . Keep in mind both the Golden Rule and the Platinum Rule. Identify and include all interested and affected parties. Try to understand the other point-of-views in the context of conflict and reaching shared goals.
• Is it the TRUTH? TRUST . From the Rotarian Code of Conduct, act with integrity and high ethical standards.   Acknowledge and define the problem including the root causes. Collect information and apply critical thinking by asking questions to identify the difference between facts, beliefs, assumptions and opinions. Moreover, be a trusted problem solver.

The Four-Way Test is an adaptive process. It takes into account everyone’s’ point-of-view and concerns, as well as their needs and wants. The process is designed to build goodwill and earn trust so a particular end result is mutually beneficial, sustainable and has scalable outcomes.

I encourage you to consider using The Four-Way Test to address conflicts or work towards conflict transformation in your community. Please contact me for more information, as well as your comments.

* Hugh Miall, Conflict Transformation: A Multi-Dimensional Task

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11 thoughts on “ A creative look at the Four-Way Test ”

Rotary international bright and build future organization of people’s of community development,,rotary international one platform in the world,to make and support local community development and provided all benefit,poor families and communities

Yes, I agree. Our core principles – The Four-Way Test and Rotarian Code of Conduct – provides Rotary and Rotarians with the agency to help those with special needs and to improve people’s quality of life in my community and in the world.

Eye opening and useful approach.

Thank You for your comments. Yes, the Four-Way Test is a useful approach that is flexible and adaptable depending on the participants and situation. In all case the stronger the fellowship and trust, the better the odds for solutions beneficial to all concerned.

This article is thought provoking and sensible. I am a PhD student and my topic is the 21st century service club. I have been looking at ways to make Rotary relevant to younger generations and this is exactly the refreshing approach, flexible and adaptable, which will be helpful in doing that

Great topic I would love to know your hypothesis and your outcomes. I am currently a District Governor Elect of Rotary in Sydney Australia I can be reached on [email protected]

Hello Gil, did you know I retired June 30? Would be very interested to know if you finished your project and read a copy. As most clubs we are struggling to get and keep members – just lost 3 couples, 2 moved south and 1 due to ill health!!! But on a positive note had 2 past members rejoin. Hope you’re well, as we are Jenny Peters

One needs to build a relationship with the other person prior to discussing a possible controversial topic. The first three questions do this with empathy, accountability and I would also add respect. Then when you know each other, you can have a pleasant discussion on “Is it the Truth”?

Great! I would like to know how to apply this when opening an online store.

Amedu. The Four-Way Test can be used for solve problems. Here’s a business adage… A business is one that solves customer problems profitably.. Thus … will your online store provide the products and services beneficial to all concerned, that is your customer and you? For retention and word of mouth … consider how you might build goodwill and better friendships. All the best in your business venture.

This is a very good article and it underscores the importance of the 4-Way Test as an ethical guide. I am concerned about the fact that clubs are adding to the 4-Way Test, with things like “is it fun” or “is it sustainable”? I think these additions dilute the power of the 4-Way Test, which when practiced does not always require “fun” or “sustainability.” These additions are useful when considering fellowship or investments in projects, but I do not think they constitute an ethical basis for thoughts, words, and actions.

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Four-Way Test Essay Contest

Rotary Club of Wake Forest is proud to announce its Four-Way Test Writing Contest for all Wake Forest 7th and 8th-grade students. The Four-Way Test is the “universal ethical guideline for living a life of integrity” by which every Rotarian lives. (Quote from Mr. Apple Discovers the Four-Way Test by Wallis Zbitnew) By applying it to each decision, choice, word, and deed, we aspire to treat others as we want to be treated.

Contest Prizes

The top three (3) student essays will win prizes: 3rd place: $50, 2nd place: $100, 1st place: $150 and your essay will be forwarded to compete for 1st place in District 7710.

Rotary Four-Way Test

In all the things we say or do we first consider:

• Is it the truth?
• Is it fair to all concerned?
• Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
• Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?

Essay Topic

What Does The Four-Way Test Mean to You and How Do You Apply It to Your Own Life?

Essay Contest Rules

• Each essay must be typed, double-spaced with the 12-point font (Times New Roman, Arial or Century Schoolbook), and 1” margins.
• Word limits: each essay must be between 600-750 words in length (which will be 2-3 pages long).
• Each essay must be accompanied by a fully completed Rotary Contest Form.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS DECEMBER 4, 2020 AT MIDNIGHT. Submissions may be hand-delivered to a member of the WFRC or emailed to [email protected], or; faxed to (888) 308-3708.

About the 4-Way Test

More than 60 years ago, in the midst of the Great Depression, a U.S. Rotarian devised a simple, four-part ethical guideline that helped him rescue a beleaguered business. The statement and the principles it embodied also helped many others find their own ethical compass. Soon embraced and popularized by Rotary International, The Four-Way Test today stands as one of the organization’s hallmarks. It may very well be one of the most famous statements of our century.

Herbert J. Taylor, author of the Test, was a mover, a doer, a consummate salesman and a leader of men. He was a man of action, faith and high moral principle. Born in Michigan, USA, in 1893, he worked his way through Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

After graduation, Herb went to France on a mission for the YMCA and the British Army welfare service and served in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps in World War I. In 1919, he married Gloria Forbrich, and the couple set up housekeeping in Oklahoma, USA, where he worked for the Sinclair Oil Company. After a year, he resigned and went into insurance, real estate and oil lease brokerage.

With some prosperous years behind him, Herb returned to Chicago, Illinois, in 1925 and began a swift rise within the Jewel Tea Company. He soon joined the Rotary Club of Chicago . In line for the presidency of Jewel in 1932, Herb was asked to help revive the near-bankrupt Club Aluminum Company of Chicago. The cookware manufacturing company owed $400,000 more than its total assets and was barely staying afloat. Herb responded to the challenge and decided to cast his lot with this troubled firm. He resigned from Jewel Tea, taking an 80 percent pay cut to become president of Club Aluminum. He even invested $6,100 of his own money in the company to give it some operating capital.

Looking for a way to resuscitate the company and caught in the Depression’s doldrums, Herb, deeply religious, prayed for inspiration to craft a short measuring stick of ethics for the staff to use.

As he thought about an ethical guideline for the company, he first wrote a statement of about 100 words but decided that it was too long. He continued to work, reducing it to seven points. In fact, The Four-Way Test was once a Seven-Way Test. It was still too long, and he finally reduced it to the four searching questions that comprise the Test today.

Next, he checked the statement with his four department heads: a Roman Catholic, a Christian Scientist, an Orthodox Jew and a Presbyterian. They all agreed that the Test’s principles not only coincided with their religious beliefs, but also provided an exemplary guide for personal and business life.

And so, “The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do” was born:

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?

Profound in its simplicity, the Test became the basis for decisions large and small at Club Aluminum.

But any test must be put to the test. Would it work in the real world? Could people in business really live by its precepts? One lawyer told Herb: “If I followed the Test explicitly, I would starve to death. Where business is concerned, I think The Four-Way Test is absolutely impractical.”

The attorney’s concerns were understandable. Any ethical system that calls for living the truth and measuring actions on the basis of benefits to others is demanding. Such a test can stir bitter conflict for those who try to balance integrity and ambition. Sizzling debates have been held in various parts of the world on its practicality as a way of living. There are always some serious-minded Rotarians, not to mention skeptics and negative thinkers, who view The Four-Way Test as a simplistic philosophy of dubious worth, contradictory meaning and unrealistic aims. The Test calls for thoughtful examination of one’s motives and goals. This emphasis on truth, fairness and consideration provide a moral diet so rich that it gives some people “ethical indigestion.”

But at Club Aluminum in the 1930s, everything was measured against The Four-Way Test. First, the staff applied it to advertising. Words like “better,” “best,” “greatest” or “finest” were dropped from ads and replaced by factual descriptions of the product. Negative comments about competitors were removed from advertising and company literature.

The Test gradually became a guide for every aspect of the business, creating a climate of trust and goodwill among dealers, customers and employees. It became part of the corporate culture, and eventually helped improve Club Aluminum’s reputation and finances.

One day, the sales manager announced a possible order for 50,000 utensils. Sales were low and the company was still struggling at the bankruptcy level. The senior managers certainly needed and wanted that sale, but there was a hitch. The sales manager learned that the potential customer intended to sell the products at cut-rate prices. “That wouldn’t be fair to our regular dealers who have been advertising and promoting our product consistently,” he said. In one of the toughest decisions the company made that year, the order was turned down. There was no question this transaction would have made a mockery out of The Four-Way Test the company professed to live by.

By 1937, Club Aluminum’s indebtedness was paid off and during the next 15 years, the firm distributed more than $1 million in dividends to its stockholders. Its net worth climbed to more than $2 million.

Too idealistic for the real world? The Four-Way Test was born in the rough and tumble world of business, and put to the acid test of experience in one of the toughest times that the business community has ever known. It survived in the arena of practical commerce.

In 1942, Richard Vernor of Chicago, then a director of Rotary International, suggested that Rotary adopt the Test. The R.I. Board approved his proposal in January 1943 and made The Four-Way Test a component of the Vocational Service program, although today it is considered a vital element in all four Avenues of Service.

Herb Taylor transferred the copyright to Rotary International when he served as R.I. president in 1954-55, during the organization’s golden anniversary.

Today, more than six decades since its creation, has the Test lost its usefulness in modern society, as some critics maintain? Is it sophisticated enough to guide business and professional men and women in these fast-paced times?

Is it the TRUTH? There is a timelessness in truth that is unchangeable. Truth cannot exist without justice.

Is it FAIR to all concerned? The substitution of fairness for the harsh principles of doing business at arm’s length has improved rather than hurt business relationships.

Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Man is by nature a cooperative creature and it is his natural instinct to express love.

Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? This question eliminates the dog-eat-dog principle of ruthless competition and substitutes the idea of constructive and creative competition.

The Four-Way Test is international, transcending national boundaries and language barriers. It knows no politics, dogma or creed. More than a code of ethics, it has all the ingredients for a successful life in every way. It can and will work in today’s society.

The final test is in the doing. William James, the noted psychologist, once said, “The ultimate test of what a truth means is the conduct it dictates or inspires.” At the heart of Rotary today is The Four-Way Test, a call to moral excellence. Human beings can grow together. Modern business can be honest and trustworthy. People can learn to believe in one another. At the 1977 R.I. Convention, James S. Fish of the U.S. Better Business Bureaus said, “To endure, the competitive enterprise system must be practiced within the framework of a strict moral code. Indeed, the whole fabric of the capitalistic system rests to a large degree on trust . . . on the confidence that businessmen and women will deal fairly and honestly, not only with each other, but also with the general public, with the consumer, the stockholder and the employee.”

Few things are needed more in our society than moral integrity. The Four-Way Test will guide those who dare to use it for worthy objectives: choosing, winning, and keeping friends; getting along well with others; ensuring a happy home life; developing high ethical and moral standards; becoming successful in a chosen business or profession; and becoming a better citizen and better example for the next generation.

Eloquently simple, stunning in its power, undeniable in its results, The Four-Way Test offers a fresh and positive vision in the midst of a world full of tension, confusion and uncertainty.

By Darrell Thompson, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Morro Bay, California. This article is adapted from a speech given by Darrell, with contributions from Rotarians Douglas W. Vincent of Woodstock-Oxford, Ontario, Canada, and Myron Taylor.

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Rotary’s annual Four-Way Test essay contest now open

By staff | sep 25, 2023.

Rotary District Governor Alfred Current has announced the opening of the annual essay contest for eighth graders, based on Rotary’s Four-Way Test, with a first-place award for the district winner of $500. Rotary clubs in the district, which stretches from Palmetto to Marco Island and east to Clewiston, will sponsor local contests in their respective communities, with local awards, as well.

The annual contest is open to all eight graders (or equivalent middle schoolers) whether public, private, or homeschooled.

The Four-Way Test, created by Rotary founder Herbert J. Taylor in 1932 as a guide for his employees to help them make good decisions, has been adopted as a guide for all Rotarians, who pledge to consider the test in whatever they think, say or do.

• First — Is it the truth?

• Second — Is it fair to all concerned?

• Third — Will it build good will and better friendships?

• Fourth — Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Taylor believed the best competitive advantage to guide his failing aluminum cookware company facing bankruptcy was to implement a strong code of ethics. He developed this simple, but effective test, challenging everyone in his company to memorize and use it to guide their conduct in every aspect of their business and personal lives. Taylor’s company not only survived but thrived.

Contest competitors write an essay describing how The Four-Way Test can be applied to life challenges or decisions faced by them or others in their age group.

Last year’s winner, Piper Sheldon from Oasis Middle School in Cape Coral, sponsored by The Rotary Club of Cape Coral Goldcoast, titled her essay “To Post or Not to Post” , a timely essay about the pressures students face in today’s online world.

Local Rotary Clubs contact local schools, or are contacted by schools wishing to launch the contest in their schools, to initiate a school contest. The club selects and awards local winners and submit their winning essays to The District Essay Contest Committee to be entered into the District competition. The District will recognize and award a prize for first, second, and third-place winners at its District Conference at The Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center next year on Saturday, July 13.

Rotary International District 6960 includes 53 Rotary Clubs with a membership of 2350 active Rotarians ‘doing good in the world.’ For more information about Rotary District 6960, visit Rotarydistrict6960.org or rotary.org .

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