Bob, the good news is, there is a way—that’s powerful and effective—to decide among the various options that confront us. There is a way to know what to do and when to do it. There’s a way to get our priorities in order. That’s the secret of the second P.”
The CEO pushed her magic button and again the lights dimmed. The projection screen dropped, ethereal music began to play, and a single word flashed onto the screen. It quickly exploded to life and, accompanied by sound effects, was chiseled onto a stone tablet.
I’m beginning to detect a pattern here, Bob decided as the word became etched in stone.
“Propriety.”
“That’s the second P,” the CEO announced with a healthy dose of pride. “Any questions?”
Bob hesitated. “Only one. What does it mean?”
“Do you want my definition…or Webster’s?”
“Let’s start with Webster’s.”
The CEO didn’t have to look it up in the dictionary. This definition was solidly embedded in her mind. “There are three components. First, it means ‘the quality or state of being proper or suitable.’ Second, it means ‘correctness of behavior or morals.’ Finally, it means ‘conformity with accepted standards.’ ”
“That’s pretty much what I thought it meant, but I have to tell you something candidly. I don’t think I’ve used that word in years. Maybe I’ve never used it. It seems so old-fashioned. Out-of-date. Prudish. Like something from the Victorian era.”
Through her laughter, the CEO admitted, “You’re right, Bob. It is old-fashioned. I can’t remember my parents using the word even once as I was growing up. But I can’t think of one other word—let alone a ‘P’ word—that means exactly what ‘propriety’ means. The word itself may be kind of snooty and out-of-date, but the concepts it represents are very current and extremely vital.”
Bob pondered her words, then suggested, “I imagine there’s some kind of test that goes along with this.”
“Actually, no. But I do have a little handout for you to contemplate when you get home.” The CEO gave Bob another nine-by-twelve envelope. “This is our company’s brand-new ‘Bill of Rights.’ There are seven points. They define what ‘propriety’ will mean to us from now on. And every on-time, on-target manager in our company will adhere to them strictly in order to be successful and produce high quality work. Study them tonight, and tomorrow we’ll talk about them. Same time, okay?”
“Sounds great! I’ll be here,” Bob said. But as he packed up his computer and PDA at the end of the day, he thought, I wonder if there’s any chance everyone in this company is going to buy into this program.