Minutes after taking the stage of the George Washington University Lisner Auditorium Monday evening, businessman and former White House Chief of Staff Thomas F. McLarty III encouraged the GW School of Business class of 2019 to nail copies of the honor code to front doors around Washington.
Mr. McLarty made the recommendation half in jest and half in earnest, but the sentiment was clear: Washington—and the world—could use a heavy dose of civility and integrity.
“It is clear that GW is preparing you not only to make a good living but to make a good life,” Mr. McLarty said as he prepared to deliver the keynote for the third annual Richard W. Blackburn Endowed Lecture on Civility and Integrity.
“Strengthening these values is critical to our future.”
GWSB partnered with the Division of Development and Alumni Relations to host the lecture, which was funded by a gift from alumnus and GW Board of Trustees member Richard W. Blackburn, J.D. ’67. GWSB Dean Linda Livingstone and George Washington President Steven Knapp also offered remarks.
The lecture serves as a milestone event for the GWSB First Year Development Program, and each year the program’s class honor code is unveiled at the event. This year, the honor code written by GWSB freshman Julia Rondos was selected from 400 submissions.
GWSB honor code student finalists congratulate the winner (front) Julia Rondos with Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs Leo C. Moersen. (Simo Ahmadi Photography)
Following the reading of the honor code, Mr. Blackburn offered opening reflections on the importance of civility and integrity in business.
“Civility is an enabler, it’s the way we build and sustain trust—without trust none of this works,” Mr. Blackburn said. “That is what civility and integrity is all about.”
Trust was a key theme of Mr. McLarty’s remarks as he reflected on his youth in Hope, Ark., his government service and the global expansion of his family-owned company McLarty Associates, of which he is the chairman.
His diverse experiences taught him not to believe the “myths” of competition, which say that for one person to succeed another must fail. Instead, Mr. McLarty said, civility is a sign of strength and helps to build relationships that lead to success.
“These myths are just plain false, they misread the way the world works, and the way people are,” Mr. McLarty said.
“Civility looks outward, toward building a better world, and integrity looks inward toward building a better person. These are core American values—a celebration of the common good and of the individual.”
These values are best reflected in the life and work of Dale Bumpers, small town lawyer turned governor of Arkansas, according to Mr. McLarty.
He told a story of how Mr. Bumpers was elected governor without running negative advertisements and went on to lead the racial integration of Arkansas public schools, raise taxes to improve education, oppose prayer in public schools and support the Panama Canal treaties.
“Bumpers won with civility,” Mr. McLarty said. “He created a model for centrist, bipartisan government, and he did it by building trust. He believed in the politics of respect, and it led him to get things done.”
Mr. McLarty advised students to use civility and integrity to win over the respect of their competitors and adversaries—just as Mr. Bumpers had done.
The key to achieving this level of respect?
Investing in relationships and building a reputation through consistent, small actions, he said.
BOT member and alumnus Richard W. Blackburn, J.D. '67, emphasized the importance of civility and integrity in business and in life. (Simo Ahmadi Photography)
“Lasting relationships cannot be superficial or transactional,” he said. “Lasting relationships require nurturing, honesty and understanding yourself.”
In his final comments, Mr. McLarty reflected on how university namesake George Washington wrote out 110 rules of civility and integrity to guide his actions. He said the final rule—“Labor to keep alive within your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience”—made the biggest impression.
“Reading that reminded me that civility and integrity are indeed matters of conscience,” Mr. McLarty said. “They connect us to ourselves and to each other as individuals, but they also connect us to higher powers, like family, community and faith.
“Today in Washington, we face some daunting challenges to restore credibility and effectiveness to our most basic port of institutions. I would suggest tonight that civility and integrity are two essential tools to this historic job, and it’s time to put those tools to use.”