When did having personal honor and integrity stop being popular? Popular, hell, when did it just stop being the way people lived, being what was expected of you?

I grew up on ranches in Wyoming and two of the common themes I was raised on were the importance of being a man of your word, and the concept of riding for the brand. I think the concept of being a man of your word is self-evident and most people will understand that. Riding for the brand may be a little obscure these days for most.

It seems today that everybody who hires another person needs to understand that at any given time that employee is going to write a book, post pictures online, or go around telling anybody who will listen the details of their employer. You may say here “Why not, they have free speech!” or you may reference that it’s everybody out for themselves and you should get everything you can, when you can. Well to me that just means you’re probably not reliable, and may not be trustworthy anywhere.

The concept of riding for the brand is perhaps best explained by Red Steagall in a poem called “Riding for the Brand.”

“Son, a man’s brand is his own special mark that says this is mine, leave it alone.

You hire out to a man, ride for his brand, and protect it like it was your own.”

The idea is, you hire on to do a job that you requested, that you swore you could do and do well, and you told people you could be trusted. As long as that was all the truth then you should do your best to have honor, integrity, and support those people who believed you and employed you. If it was not true, then don’t take the job.

If, on the other hand, that job turns out to be too much for you, or for some other reason you feel you have to leave, then gather up your cowboy gear and move on to the next job. But when you do leave, demonstrate some integrity and keep those embarrassing details to yourself.

Now I’m not talking about legitimate whistleblowers, and I’m not referring to people that need to come forward because something illegal or dangerous needs to be resolved (if it’s possible you should take it up with that employer first).

No—I’m talking about those people who decide they should make their living talking about other people no matter how well they were treated, and no matter how much damage it will bring to the people who trusted them.

Another little rule I tend to live by, that I think applies in this situation: always remember the simple phrase “you’re next!” So, when you’re around somebody who feels it necessary to disclose everything and anything, and is sharing people’s intimate secrets, just remember that when you’re not in the room, your secrets are next!