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 Much needed ethics Sep 20, 2009
Excellent work. America needs to read & recall. Real America that we need to do again.
Reading it will restore your spirit and faith.
 A Timeless Treasure Aug 29, 2009
Cowboy Ethics - What Wall Street Can Learn From The Code of the West by James P. Owen --- a tremendous book with some of the most outstanding photography (David R. Stoecklein) you will ever lay your eyes on. When you're riding through hell -- keep riding." p. 36 -- Fantastic book!!!!
A Treasure...GREAT gift book. Perfect coffee table book. Keep it by your favorite sitting place. Read a few pages at breakfast.
As the book says:
"When there's nothing more to say, don't be saying it." p. 56-57
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Great photos - skip the text May 24, 2009
With all due respect, there's nothing wrong with the spirit or intent of this book. Its call for trust, fairness, and accountability is timely, especially after the abuse of all three of those virtues in the financial services industry helped trigger the worst recession in decades. The basis of its argument in plot lines and characters from Hollywood westerns is, however, questionable. While the author says he's steeped himself in the history of the Old West, there isn't much evidence of it besides a few quotes from men who have actually been cowboys: Teddy "Blue" Abbott, Will James, and John R. Erikson plus western folklorist J. Frank Dobie. The screenwriters who wrote the lines for John Wayne and Robert Duvall lack that level of credibility.
Owen first abstracts a code of the west from whatever he read and his viewing of westerns and then expresses it like 10 commandments, few of which lack anything like the clarity of the original 10 commandments. The principles they are meant to reflect are sometimes in conflict with each other, and sometimes open to debate. Principle #3, "Always finish what you start," sounds reasonable enough, but it contradicts some basic cowboy advice often quoted elsewhere, "When you've dug yourself into a hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging." More ambiguous is #7 "Ride for the brand," which calls for loyalty to the boss and the owners but doesn't leave much room for whistle-blowers, in which case, I guess, you apply #10 "Know where to draw the line."
Looking to the Old West as a basis for an inquiry into American character has had its precedents, and in a century-old novel, "The Virginian" by another Owen - Owen Wister - you will find the certainties and ambiguities of cowboy values and codes of behavior explored with greater depth and plausibility than you will find in this 15-minute coffee-table read. Wister knew the West from first hand experience. A modern-day writer steeped in cowboy history, Elmer Kelton ("The Day the Cowboys Quit"), does another fine job of it. Translating these values to the boardroom and the corner office is more complex than the author is able to convey. Googling on the author's company, Austin Capital Management, reveals unfortunate connections with Bernard Madoff as of this writing. Sounds like there might have been a bit more in-house emphasis on #10, "Know where to draw the line."
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Cowboy UP Apr 07, 2009
This is a book for every office jock, wall street geek and average guy who thinks he knows something. What a treat it was to read and the photos are artistically well arranged. Horse lover or not the point is made, just do it right the first time. There is really no romance in this job, just a lot of hard rewarding work and at the end of the day you still like yourself. Go get this for every guy you know and hope he GETS IT!!!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Cowboy Ethics isn't just for cowboys! Jan 01, 2009
I read this book and gave it as a graduation gift. Then I showed it to my horses' hoof trimmer and he had me order five more copies for him to give as gifts. The photography is beautiful and the message is one that all of us should live by. I haven't read the next book, Cowboy Values, yet but am looking forward to it too.
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