Lessons In Leadership…from a 6-year old - Part 3

Lesson 2: “Be Honest or Be Eaten”

Our operation was fairly simple.

The owner of the recycling center would give us cash per pound of recyclable items we brought in. My oldest sister did the talking - I was there as the muscle (handling the two-wheel shopping cart onto the scale and unloading the items).

On several occasions, however, I felt there was a discrepancy between the money we received and the number of items we collected. Fed up, I went to my cousin and told him what I believed was happening. He stated, “If you believe they are cheating you, cheat them. As you collect the cans and bottles, fill them with water and rocks. When you load the stuff on the scale, it will be worth more.” To my six-year-old mind, this logic made sense. I saw the increased earning potential. I saw myself riding on my Huffy with Ring Pops in every color on every finger…like a boss. At the same time, something about this scheme didn’t sit well with me. Maybe it was hearing my mother’s voice saying “honesty is the best policy”. Plus, I was afraid of the “Dorse”.

(The “Dorse” was a dog the size of a horse that would always be next to the scale when we did our weigh-in. In my little mind, the Dorse’s sole purpose in life was to eat children that tried to cheat the recycling center, outside of its normal diet of paper, aluminum and glass, of course…)

Ultimately, I knew I had to be honest. I didn’t add the extra weight and decided to tell my older sister. She advised the owner. I am sure we didn’t articulate our concerns in the most effective way, but overall we maintained the integrity of our operation. And escaped the Dorse. (Whew.)