Leather Core Values: Loyalty

What is loyalty in Leather?
In general terms, loyalty signifies a person's devotion or attachment to a particular person or group, an ideal, a duty, or a cause.
Loyalty, as a core value of Leather, is the allegiance and faith that one has in those whom you have devoted yourself. This is simply believing in and committing yourself to someone or an organization. A loyal leatherperson supports their leadership and stands up for their fellow leatherpersons.

Why is loyalty a core value?
Loyalty means having consistency in treatment, behavior, and regard for another. It's essential to be reliable and dependable — someone who can be counted on to show up and show out when needed. Loyalty also involves consistently treating the other person with kindness, fairness, and generosity of spirit — loyalty is commitment.

How is loyalty earned?
Those serious about earning sustainable and authentic loyalty must establish a genuine and thorough foundation of trust. The gaining of authentic trust is the only fundamental prerequisite to gaining loyalty. Team members "fight" for each other. The most important way of earning loyalty is performing well as a team member. There's no loyalty fiercer than that of team members who trust each other to fulfill the mission as a team.

Loyalty in Leather
As a building block of honor, the modern ethos of loyalty can be traced back through the Samurai Bushido Code, the Knight's Code of Chivalry, and the Viking Code of Honor.

Loyalty in Leather extends beyond commitment and trust. It necessarily traverses the boundaries of family, friendship, and religion by requiring Leatherpersons to subordinate themselves to a higher level of allegiance.