A Class with Drucker - Headway | Work on yourself

116 ■ A CLASS WITH DRUCKER
“No, sir.”
“‘All right,’ he said and walked out the door. That was the end of the
matter. Because of the honor code, despite his dislike of me, he
accepted my word. And I was not expected to report the guy who
had actually watched from my window, because that was a regulatory
breach, not an honor violation.” 2
This, then, is the background from which I personally received <strong>Drucker</strong>’s
lessons on this subject.
<strong>Drucker</strong>’s Reaction to the Honor Code
Peter asked me how the West Point honor code would apply for a “white
lie.” That is, what if you have a parent who was seriously ill. The doctor
tells you that there is no chance of the patient surviving, but that you
should do everything possible to maintain your parent’s morale. “If your
parent asks you what the doctor said about his chances, is it dishonorable
for you to tell him that all would be well?” Peter asked. I had to agree that
this would not be dishonorable.
Peter mentioned other situations in which the honor code, good as it
might be, might not apply. He noted that the code did not apply to moral
values, which was an individual thing. “A man could be a womanizer, a
drunkard, not take proper care of his family, and still be considered honorable
by the West Point code,” he said. Again, I had to agree that Peter
was correct, although I pointed out that it was not only the words of the
code that were important, but its spirit.
Peter agreed and again noted the differing definitions of bribery <strong>with</strong>in
differing cultures. He went on to say that the West Point honor code had
stood the test of time and was worthy as a test of honor whether at West
Point, or anywhere else in our culture. But once again he cautioned that
one should not confuse honor <strong>with</strong> ethics, integrity, or the law, even
though there was clearly a relationship among them. He reiterated that different
interpretations of what was and what was not honorable might prevail
in different cultures.
Later, I thought of other examples in which the Code of Honor did not
apply. One was negotiations, during which verbally exaggerating or minimizing
some things is considered normal. However, once an agreement is
reached, both parties are expected to abide by the terms. Thus, as a result,