Cowboy Ethics: What It Takes to Win at Life

by James P. Owen

A new approach to business ethics is quietly taking hold in executive suites and corporate boardrooms across America. Frustrated by an epidemic of misbehavior at all employee levels, management teams are getting back to basics-back to the idea that personal character and individual responsibility are the ultimate keys to integrity, just as they were back in the days of the Open Range.A decade ago, the book Cowboy Ethics first inspired businesspeople to look to the Code of the West. Once they did, they discovered that its simple, common-sense principles can be more effective guides to business leadership than a truckload of corporate mission statements, rules, and ethics manuals. “Cowboys are role models because they live by a code,” says author James P. Owen. “They show us what it means to stand for something, and to strive every day to make your actions line up with your beliefs. And isn’t that as good a definition of integrity as you can find?” In the years since, the book’s “Ten Principles to Live By” have been embraced by scores of companies, universities, and even a state government. This updated Tenth Anniversary hardcover edition traces the evolution of this grassroots business movement in brand-new chapters while preserving the inspirational lessons and stunning photography of the original. It’s ideal for corporate gifts, the new graduate, business students, or any career person who cares about doing the right thing.

111 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 3, 2015

About the author

After a successful 35-year Wall Street career, James P. Owen found new purpose in being an author, inspirational speaker, and social entrepreneur. His book, Cowboy Ethics, a best-seller with more than 150,000 copies in circulation, and two follow-up volumes, Cowboy Values and The Try, shine a light on the importance of shared values and personal character in our society.

Now Jim is propelled by a new mission: showing older adults how to get and stay in shape. His latest book, Just Move! A New Approach to Fitness after 50 (National Geographic), was inspired by his personal journey of transformation. As a 70-year-old “couch potato,” Jim resolved to do whatever it took to become fit and ease his chronic back pain. Seven years later, he is in better shape than he was in his twenties, and has become a passionate evangelist for fitness as a way of life. In his speaking engagements, he reminds audiences that being in shape helps older adults stay mobile, active, and independent, enabling a quality of life no amount of money can buy. Jim lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Stanya.

Reviews

[Ms. Tongate, TLC Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saddle up, get your chaps on! Excellent graduation book for a male with beautiful photography.
Grit, guts, & heart: the Cowboy Way.

Real courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway. Cowboy doesn't build character. It reveals it. Real cowboys carry themselves with: a quiet confidence & a genuine humility. The Code of the West: Keep Your Word & the Golden Rule. Cowboy Code=Is it right?

Cowboys live their values. Winning at life is the ultimate reward.
Integrity: actions line up with your beliefs
Character: not your job, lifestyle, bank acct.-is the true measure who you are.

4 Elements for Winning at Life:
1. Attitude: can do, positive, embrace the challenge, belief in yourself. Attitude trumps ability every time.
2. Integrity: sets you apart from the crowd, a choice to to the right thing even when no one is looking.
3. Grit: try, mental toughness, coping with life's upheavals
4. A sense of purpose: life direction. Purpose in life is to find your life purpose.
*Author's father was a dentist in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Code of the West:
Live each day with courage
Take pride in your work
Always finish what you start
Do what has to be done
Be tough, but fair
When you make a promise, keep it
Ride for the brand
Talk less and say more. :)
Remember that some things aren't for sale
Know where to draw the line.

[Marjorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has pages of wonderful photographs by 2 renowned photographers. The gist of the book is that if one lives by the, 'code of the west', the tough cowboy who is always brave and does the right thing by his neighbour, country and God then all will be right in the world. Which may indeed be true to a degree if we kept our word and mostly mind our own business. I think in the society and time when there were many cowboys all thought this a good way to live. It was a pleasant read and made good points, all of which we learned young and likely have not remembered or lived by some of them.

[Tom Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a bad book. It is just a fairly predictable and vapid one. In an unbalanced way, it elevates cowboys as some sort of life example for the rest of us, though it borrows essentially from Hollywood for its illustrations of this fact. Which is problematic at best.

I'm not against the book. It advocates good things, for the most part. But it does so in a surface way. There is no depth here and precious little application. It strikes me like a business man had an idea to go into ethics and is building an entire organization on too skinny of a foundation.

It is a very pretty book, and what it says is good. There's just so much it doesn't say.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Values and Purpose From the Code

I am sorry that I did not find this book sooner. I’ve read plenty of leadership and personal development books, but this one shines from its simplicity and clarity. Much of it was like sitting at the table when I was young. Unfortunately, many of those lessons got lost as I grew and the world changed. This was a powerful call, not to go backwards, but to move forward with strength and insight from the past, building upon solid character and purpose. It is time for me to revive the code in my life!

[Rivkah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and the pictures. It drew heavily from "old west" ideas which was expected. I have a feeling, as a horse person, that the author does not have a strong horse/"real western" background himself initially, which would have clenched it for me. Still a great read and a great coffee table book!

[Pete Schulte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and then I like to pick up a spiritual/self-help/ethics kind of book, something akin to the Four Agreements, Make Your Bed, or Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. This go round I caught sight of Cowboy Ethics: What it takes to win at life. It’s the 10th Anniversary Edition with a nice photo cover featuring what else? Cowboys. If you enjoy cowboy photography then this is the book for you. But what’s more important is the message. Why didn’t the image of the cowboy simply fade into mythical status and disappear from the modern world altogether? Is there something beyond the horses, the ten-gallon hats, the gun fighting and the rope tricks that can be applied to today’s complex lifestyle? The book explores the old code of the west that helped cowboys endure the harsh life in the frontier territories before laws came into effect. Such attributes as taking pride in your work, keeping your word, finishing what you start, and knowing where to draw the line created a code of right vs. wrong that all could easily understand. Remember, most cowboys didn’t come out west looking for trouble, they were looking for work. And since today there are millions of folks working or looking for work, we could all learn a thing or two from cowboy ethics. These well-worn ethics are in fact timeless, and in most cases the keys to success.

[Mal Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A primer on decency and treating others with respect. A great way to live a life fulfilled.

[Fred Leland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and powerful book

I say and read the is book in a couple of hours. It message is clear that core values are the key to winning at life in all its aspects.