By Bhaktimarga Swami
I am a member of the Governing Body Commission for the Hare Krishna movement and I wanted to share the Code of Honour which is printed and placed on our seats during meeting times. It’s good and can apply to other organizations. There are ten points.
1. RESPECT: If I have issues related to the personal conduct, speech, attitude etc. of a GBC member, I will not express these issues to others but instead bring them directly to the individual concerned, using all the tact and Vaishnava etiquette at my command. If that fails to bring a resolution, I will seek aid from a responsible outside party—another GBC member, a senior Vaishnava, or a representative of ISKCON Resolve.
2. Confidentiality: I will maintain strict confidentiality about sensitive issues and topics, including keeping private person’s names and other specific information I am privy to through my GBC service.
3. Courtesy: I will be courteous in tone and use respectful Vaishnava language when addressing issues and topics that come before me in my GBC service, especially while referring to specific people or sensitive information.
4. Gravity: While conducting GBC matters, I will avoid drawing insufficiently informed conclusions about issues and / or individuals.
5. Fidelity: I will honour all GBC decisions, regardless of whether or not I fully agree with them, and ensure their implementation in my jurisdiction(s).
6. Personal Integrity: I will cultivate impartial judgement and vote with integrity to ensure that personal loyalties do not overshadow my responsibility to the GBC body.
7. Attendance and Punctuality: I will attend all plenary sessions and other GBC related meetings on time and properly respect the chairperson.
8. Attentiveness: I will give all plenary sessions and GBC-related meetings my undivided attention. Without permission from the chair, I will not use cell phones, iPods, iPads, computers or other electronic devices.
9. Responsibility and Commitment: I will extend myself as far as possible to accept commitments on behalf of the GBC body. If I am unable to fulfill a commitment, I accept that it is my responsibility to find others to do the job. I will also communicate in a timely manner with all concerned.
10. Humility: If a colleague informs me I am in breach of any of our codes of honour, I will accept such information with humility and gratitude, understanding that I am being notified with the intention of improving my service to Srila Prabhupada (the founder-acarya).