Wouldn’t it be great if we could immediately tell whether a person was trustworthy simply by listening to their words? Sure it would; however, there are many people who talk a good game without delivering on the field. We’ve all heard the adage, “Actions speak louder than words.” There is great wisdom in that phrase. The admonition is that we should pay more attention to a person’s behavior than the words they speak.
Behavior is such an obvious “tell” when determining one’s trustworthiness. Listen to what one says and then observe how their behavior either affirms or negates their proclamations. Very plain. Very simple. Actions do indeed speak louder than words . . . unless the actions and the words are consistent. If that is the case, then there is double power in the one who speaks!
In the Cowboy Code of Ethics, this truth is presented this way: “Talk less and say more.” Our world is full of proclamations, declarations, explanations, postulations, exclamations and lamentations . . . All words that form platforms from which individuals and groups seek to share their message. The Cowboy Code of Ethics points to the necessity of “saying more” through our actions! How does one truly prove trustworthiness? Simply by being and living true to their word – to the talk they talk. Following are some other common phrases that point to the “Say more with action” truth in the code:
- “Walk the talk.”
- “Talk is cheap!”
- “Faith (talk) without works is dead.”
- “I don’t trust words, I trust actions.”
- “Don’t talk. Just act. Don’t say. Just show. Don’t promise. Just prove.”
- “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”
The Apache people say it this way, “It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand.”
There you have it! The Cowboy Code encourages us to Talk less and SAY more” and do so through our actions.
So today let us DO more! BE more! GIVE more! And as the Cowboy Code teaches, SAY more through our behaviors!
Peace!
Mark E. Hundley
