It’s an election year, and I can’t remember a time when there have been more controversies surrounding the Presidential candidates. Both Democrats and Republicans are passionate, not about their candidate, but about the opposing candidate, each accusing the other of illicit behavior.
The character of the candidates and their integrity may determine who will be the next leader of our country. But your own integrity can affect your business as well.
The third of ActionCoach’s 14 Points of Culture is Integrity, which is described as “I always speak the truth. What I promise is what I deliver. I only ever make agreements with myself and others that I am willing and intend to keep. I communicate potential broken agreements at the first opportunity and I clear up all broken agreements immediately.”
Do you and your employees place the highest weight on your integrity in your business? Ask yourself these questions:
• Are you truly honest with yourself, your employees and your customers?
• Do you overpromise and under deliver or do you strive to exceed expectations?
• When problems occur, and they will, are you upfront and honest with your employees or customers, or do you try to hide the problems and point the blame at others?
They say how you do anything is how you do everything. And while you may be doing something that your supporters or fans love, you may be deeply offending someone else and turning off potential customers. Think about the type of person you want to do business with or the kind of boss you want to work for. If you are putting your money and trust into a business, you want them to have integrity to say what they mean and mean what they say, right? When you look at yourself in the mirror are you the kind of business owner that you would want to work with?
Integrity is what separates leaders and entrepreneurs from business owners. It isn’t a skill that can be taught, but it can be mastered.