“There will never be any class of people that can replace the old western cowman for common sense, shrewdness, humor and fine citizenship"

When I think of “cowboy ethics,” I remember my childhood in Southern California and watching Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on television. What wonderful role models they were! From a Cowboy’s & Indians Magazine article in 2011 during the Roy Rogers Centennial:

“He was as good as they come. He was a straight shooter and could sit a horse as if he were born in the saddle. He could yodel like nobody’s business. He walked the straight and narrow in his hand-tooled boots and lived by a code worthy of his white Stetson.”

Like many toddlers back then, I took a nap in the afternoons after a busy day of play. Then, I would wake up to watch the King of the Cowboys on television, which I recall has sponsored by Nestle’s Quik (which became Nesquik), chocolate mix. I remember wanting to go visit Roy and his family at the ranch every single day. That impression has stayed with me all these years.

James P. Owen and the Center for Cowboy Ethics and Leadership?have focused on the values that are part of our American Western heritage. When I returned to Austin in 2013, I discovered the Center for Cowboy Ethics and Leadership which is now based in San Diego, California. Cowboy values are, he notes, “values all Americans can share, no matter what our politics, our religion, or our station in life.”

Cowboys are heroic — not just because they do a dangerous job, but because they stand for something. Principles like honor, loyalty and courage lie at the heart of the Cowboy Way. Mr. Owen shared the following ten principles, which are good guidelines not only for business, but also for nonprofits.

1. Live each day with courage

2. Take pride in your work

3. Always finish what you start

4. Do what has to be done

5. Be tough, but fair

6. When you make a promise, keep it

7. Ride for the brand

8. Talk less and say more

9. Remember that some things aren’t for sale

10. Know where to draw the line.

Shared from: https://carolynmappleton.com/cowboy-ethics-ten-principles/