“Keep your promises and your promises will keep you” – David Holland MBA.

 

If you are expecting a bullet point list telling you what the perfect HIGH MORAL CODE is, I’m afraid you are going to be disappointed.  This is the most subjective of my 8 QUALITIES OF BLACK BELT EXCELLENCE.

 

The bad news is, whatever your HIGH MORAL CODE is – IT’S DOWN TO YOU.

 

There is no such thing as a set moral code that everyone should follow; each individual has his or her own standards, opinions and sense of right or wrong.  If there were set rules then arguments on Facebook wouldn’t exist and a whole emerging genre of entertainment would be ruined!  Yes, there are laws that are policed and punishments should you break them but, whether you break them or not is down to the standards you set for yourself.  Businesses have mission statements that lay down how they wish to place themselves in the World and what they expect of their employees.  That is down to the goals and morals of that business; each one will be different.  Your own personal mission statement will be completely different from everyone else’s too.

 

For example, a gangster will view himself as being a businessman, with his own code that must be upheld to maintain integrity and respect.  If an employee of his steals from him he may see fit to have him badly beaten or even killed.  In the same situation a superstore manager might sack the employee and call the police. These are two very different sides of the same coin.  If someone within Kuk Sool Won™ of Thetford stole I may take similar action (to the store manager!).  However my code would also involve finding out what made him or her steal and if they needed my help, because my own personal mission statement involves helping people.

 

The standards that you set for yourself become fundamental to who you are, they are expressed through other qualities that we have discussed; honesty, modesty, courtesy, integrity:

 

“All that we are is a result of what we have thought.  What we think we become” – Buddha.

 

I operate my business the same way I operate as a person.  I have my own code, what I consider to be right and wrong.  I am open and honest about it.  I won’t beat you over the head with it or say that my way is the only way but, I will have the integrity to maintain consistency and fairness in how I coduct myself and my business.  I will keep the promises I make, to myself and others, and I will always try to help and do the right thing.  Not everyone will agree, that’s fine.  The ones who are on the same page as me are my customers, my business colleagues, my training partners, coaches and instructors, people I respect, all of whom I consider friends.  And personally, I think they are all wonderful people.  I am very lucky.