Without going into a lot of details, (my ego is already big enough) I currently hold a senior management position with a very large construction related corporation. I have P & L (that's profit and loss) a responsibility for the Northeast US and my company car is a Corvette. Not as sweet as having a company airplane, but it does move along the road pretty well. I mention this only to brag about my cool car and to provide some evidence that I have done OK in my business career.

When I entered the cadet program as a khaki wearing, thirteen year old I had the distinct privilege of being in a Squadron commanded by an outstanding leader. Others, outside my Squadron would disagree with you about him, but that was mostly due to petty jealousy. Captain Hicks molded us into hard working, dedicated cadet leaders. Through his tutelage I completed the cadet program (this is what those that didn't pass the Spaatz test like to say)finishing out my cadet career as the cadet commander. Somehow along the way, Capt Hicks instilled in me a strong sense of values and a sense of service to others. The later, in concert with values taught to me by my Father, is one reason I have continuous service in CAP since 1972.

It has been mentioned more then once to me that a series of articles to the many cadets that will not be going into the military (guess some folks think we write too much about going into the service) but will need to earn a living would be useful. Through a series of articles I'll try to touch on aspects of the cadet program that have been particularly helpful to me throughout my career. If you have suggestions or ideas please feel free to send them to me. I can't guarantee that I'll use them, since they would have to be relevant to my experience, but writers always like to have ideas for future articles and of course our editor is always on me to find more stuff to put onto the website, so feel free to send me your suggestions via the PM service on cadetstuff.org.

All things must have a starting point and it is my opinion that the most valuable concept taught to me as a CAP cadet that has helped me in my business career is integrity, values and ethics. This may come as a shock to a lot of folks, but if a businessman does not have foundation based on a code of ethics and values that he practices all the time (integrity: doing the right thing all the time, even when no one is looking) he cannot be successful in the long run. He may have short term success but lying and cheating people always catches up to you.

A leader with strong values, breeds the same values in the people he surrounds himself with or he does one of the toughest things a "boss" has to do, fire someone. Conversely, a leader with questionable values also breeds the same values in those around him. People with integrity have a very difficult time working for sleezeballs. In business dealings they are painted with the same bush as their cohorts and eventually they find it impossible to wash off the slime at the end of the day. In a busy work environment it is much easier to simply tell the truth about things. Being dishonest will eventually catch up to you, since it is so hard to keep track of so many "versions of the truth".

In my current position I was hired to fix a broken region. The previous four employees who had held my job all lacked integrity; they had eventually been fired when the house of cards they built through questionable business practices came crashing down. It's funny, customers that you lie to and cheat often times don't pay their bills and it is pretty tough to take legal action based on a file full of fabrications.

Next time you find yourself in a situation where it would be easier to stretch the truth and abandon it altogether, look to the long run. Take the heat if you screwed up and don't try and cover your backside. You are cadets, by definition you are learning to be a leader and no one expects you to be perfect. Learning how to be responsible at an early age will do wonders for your future.