The Four-Way Test was adopted by Rotary in 1943, but it had been around since 1932 when it was coined by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy.

This 24-word test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The Four-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways.

Click here for the Story Behind the Four-Way Test, in Taylor’s own words.