Standing for Your Word
All individuals, except the President, elected or appointed to an office of honor in the US government take the following oath:
“I, ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
Last Tuesday, Liz Cheney was resoundingly defeated in her republican primary because she chose to honor her word to defend the Constitution of the United States of America. I applaud you, Liz, for doing so. She did it when she voted to impeach President Donald Trump and she’s doing it again as the Vice Chair of the January 6th committee.
Some might say, oh it’s just politics, I say no. The implications are much more serious than to dismiss them as politics. Let’s take a look at the impact on you if someone were to not honor their word with you.
Your parents abandon you.
Your spouse cheats on you.
Your employer doesn’t pay you.
Your therapist divulges your innermost feelings.
Your divorce lawyer reveals what you truly want from the divorce to your spouse's attorney.
Your doctor shares your mental medical records with the public days before an election.
The driver who decides that they don’t need to stop at the red light broadsides you.
The pilot of your plane has a few too many drinks before your flight.
Your house cleaner steals your jewelry.
The electrician takes shortcuts with rewiring a room and your house catches fire.
Giving our word is both literal, as in saying you will do something, and implied, as in what’s expected given a role you perform. The consequences of not honoring our word, whether literal or implied, are serious and significantly impact others.
In 2009, Michael Jensen and Karen Christensen wrote an article that was published in the Harvard Business Review, titled, “Integrity: Without it, Nothing Works.”
They explain that integrity is frequently confused with morality and argue that the effects of out-of-integrity behavior are significantly more damaging than most of us believe. He says that restoring integrity is simple: "people have to start honoring their word.”
I have found that for me, it’s easier, not easy, to honor my word to others, than it is to honor my word to myself. I have little to no problem showing up for appointments on time whether it’s with my barber, a doctor, or delivering on a promise I made to my clients. I do, however, struggle to eat as healthy as I know I should. I find maintaining my exercise routine challenging as well as honoring my word for those items in my calendar that I’m doing for myself.
Why is it so hard for us to honor our word?
First, we are humans, flawed beings. Of course, our ego gets in the way. Maybe we weren’t taught the importance of honoring your word in your family. And it’s not like there is an “Honoring Your Word” class in any school I attended.
Any one of my examples above of people not honoring their word could cause devastating effects on someone. The simple act of not honoring our word causes us to lose trust and, as Jensen and Christensen say, nothing works.
Imagine if all those examples of people not keeping their word happened to one person. You’d be devastated and likely never trust anyone. As the article title says, “Integrity: Without it, Nothing Works.”
So thank you, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, for honoring your word to uphold the constitution by the work you are doing on the January 6th committee.
This is a wake up call for all of us that honoring our word matters and when we don’t keep it, it has serious implications on others.
Will you take a stand for your word?