It is counterintuitive for some, yet crystal clear for others: regardless of your feelings or inclinations about it, loyalty counts. There are few words in the world that carry such weight and influence on character as loyalty. Wherever you may be, whatever language you speak, we are all called to understand and practice this noble virtue.
Semper Fidelis is Latin for “Always Faithful.” It’s a way of life that should be a shared responsibility for a civil society. It’s a loyal and shared commit- ment to ourselves, the others upon whom we rely for our success, the compa- nies for whom we work, and the communities and countries where we live.
We don’t hear much about the virtue of loyalty these days. The word sounds old-fashioned and rather passé, but nothing could be further from the truth. Loyalty pertains to matters of truthfulness, faithfulness, and integrity. Perhaps the reason we don’t hear very much about it is because we’re not entirely certain we really aspire to it, or don’t want to be held accountable for disloyalty.
Loyalty is an unswerving allegiance, faithfulness, and fidelity to a commitment, person, nation, or a cause. It provides the gold standard for relation-ship excellence. It’s steadfast in good times and tested in bad. Loyalty is found in what you do, not what you say. It is willingly given, with a person’s whole heart and soul. Loyalty and faithfulness also involve some degree of sacrifice. A loyal person is faithful to their bond, and demonstrates this in action, service, and sacrifice.
Where do your loyalties lie? How do you demonstrate your loyalty? Is that demonstration consistent in both good times and bad? We are immensely pleased with ourselves when we demonstrate loyalty, but loyalty is something you give regardless of what you get back. Giving it begets more, and out of loyalty flows other great qualities. Loyalty is best observed when it is beheld as a two-way commitment—if you are loyal to your compatriots, and they in turn are loyal to you, the summative effect is an order of magnitude above the sum of the individual parts. However, your own sense of loyalty cannot be dependant or conditional of that which you receive in return.
The absence of fidelity, loss of reputation, contaminated peace of mind, and diminished self-worth are the punishments of disloyalty. Ask yourself, “What would be missing if I chose to be disloyal?” The answer is your integrity and ability to be authentic. It’s not only what you take away from the other party, but also what you rob from yourself when you choose not to be loyal.
Loyalty is a supreme moral virtue. Without it, we lack a moral center for our life. It is a universal good that binds people to the moral order and to one another. Hence, a conflict of loyalties is disastrous. It is like a civil war in the moral order.
We know instinctively that healthy relationships are built upon both a conscious and unconscious commitment to loyalty. It’s an organic ingredi- ent of healthy human chemistry. Think of your abiding friendships and love relationships—aren’t faithfulness and loyalty essential?
If friends meet in times of comfort and prosperity, but leave when hardship and difficulty strike, it is clear that their friendship is not genuine. It is not fair, right, nor admirable to benefit from someone’s company in good times but abandon them in bad times. Remaining true to our deepest commitments is lifelong work for all of us, as it is for every organization of which we’re a part. Yet loyalty often takes a back seat to the less noble virtues of convenience, expediency, and self-interest. This fickle loyalty to our highest purposes is one of our greatest vulnerabilities.
Loyalty is a word that should remind all of us to honor our commitments to others and ourselves. It gives life a fundamental meaning and direction. Each of us must understand that without a robust loyalty to our loyalties, our lives and credibility are greatly diminished.
It’s a pretty radical word, because it requires a radical level of commitment that takes a lifetime of discipline to follow. There is great glory imbedded within loyalty. Embracing it shows us our best selves and allows us to engen- der the best human qualities, like courage, integrity, compassion, and fidelity. It adds dignity, credibility, and transparency to our character. It’s the glue that holds relationships together, making families functional and businesses profit- able. Loyalty is the fabric of society. Yet, we are living in a generation that has incredible indifference to, and difficulty in establishing, loyalty. Relationships have become based on performance and need satisfaction, which results in anger, suspicion, and isolation from institutions.
As a virtue, loyalty can be complex and elusive. Its complexity is due to the fact that the value of loyalty depends both on the constancy of one’s com- mitment to something or someone, and to some extent on the value of that to which one is faithful. This is where chicken meets egg. Is it that people are disloyal? Or is it that people don’t engender loyalty? Unfortunately, the answer to both is yes. We need to give serious consideration to how we can demon- strate greater loyalty while earning the loyalty of others. This is a thought for every business and citizen to ponder.
Loyalty is also elusive in our rapidly changing culture, and in the unfolding of our lives as well. Our alliances and allegiances simply change over time, sometimes because of their nature or ours, but not always or only because we lack the virtue of loyalty. Being loyal to something or someone apart from one- self means that self-interest is not all that governs such a person’s behavior or lifestyle. They will endure the inconvenience their commitments may impose; they will not just jump whenever something better comes along; they will hold fast to a promise or a vow even when it works against their own interests to do so. Thus, loyalty shows its best side when faced with temptation, or when conflicted by a choice.
We all become weakened by defections among customers, employees, friends, and family. If the primary objective of any relationship is value creation, than we must never betray nor neglect the virtue of loyalty, as value and loyalty feed one another. Each of us has to face the matter— either loyalty, or hypocrisy. Breathe the fresh air of loyalty, as there is no middle ground. Build your life on great strength, great fidelity, and great loyalty. Semper Fidelis!
Reyflection & Inspiration 