What is Loyalty?

[yatin]

Hey Everyone! I would like some help with the term Loyalty. What is loyalty with respect to your partner, friends, teammates?

[helgs]

Being honest, treating them as I'd expect them to treat me, not speaking ill of them. Covey mentions 'loyalty to those who are absent' - a useful principle to prevent gossip and disunity. Doing my share of the work. Turning up. In a relationship, being faithful. Why do you ask?

[And]

Being able to forge relationships where you can trust the other people to care about each others well being. And to be honest enough and have enough trust to be able to confront problems together. Life almost always throws curve balls, loyalty helps you deal with them together rather than in isolation. Without them people just turn on each other at the slightest bit of stress.

Your wife is giving you shit today...strip club.
A guy came to work looking a little tired and down...fire him.
Your kids are going through something...yell at them.

No cohesion, no trust, no ability to face anything in life together. Basically, no unity.
In reality quality of life goes up if you can have loyalty based relationships. Its not about excusing bad behaviour, its about trying to work stuff out rather then looking for a way out. The relationship is more valuable then the "issues". This doesn't deal with abuse situations or crime obviously. I mean within the parameters of safe and legal activities.

[mynewunit]

I like the other answers that have been given. I think loyalty is often exploited to imply loyalty is without thought. Like gang initiation or pledging a fraternity. The reality of loyalty is that it isn't a state of being. It is where you fall in the decision making. If you are loyal to a group, person or a restaurant you put them before yourself in decision making. Does you being hungry brake your loyalty to Wendy's and get a burger at McDonald's.
Does the need of the team come before what you want? Does your spouse come before your fun? What sacrifices would you make for your job?
There should be a high and low water mark on both sides for loyalty. Your company needs to hit a few marks to earn you not having your resume on the street. You also need to be pulling you weight to keep from getting fired. Likewise the company shouldn't ask you to miss your wife's funeral. And you can't ask your company for 5 years pay in advance.
Loyalty is a 2 way street. A balance of expectations. It is a relationship of trust, when no one is looking.