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9
Guard Your
Integrity as
a Sacred Thing

All successful business is based on trust. All relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, and financial institutions are based on knowing that people can trust you to do what you say you will. Theodore Leavitt, dean of the Harvard Business School, says, “The most valuable asset a company has is its reputation, the way it is known to its customers.”

In the same way, your character and reputation are perhaps your most valuable assets in your career. Your reputation for integrity and honest dealing is the critical factor that others use to judge you when they evaluate you for higher pay or for a position of greater responsibility.

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The first key element of character is truthfulness with others. No matter what, always tell the truth in every situation. When you give your word, keep it. When you make a promise, fulfill it. When you say you’ll do something, no matter what the inconvenience or difficulty, be sure to do it.

The second element of character is dependability. Few qualities are so important, valued, and respected in business, and in life, as the dependability of a person who says he or she will do something or be somewhere. It is worth any sacrifice or inconvenience for you to deliver on your promises. It is essential for you to be the kind of person that others can rely on completely.

The third element of character is loyalty. Lack of loyalty is one of the major reasons for failure and underachievement in business and in life. When you are truly loyal, you do not complain to others about your company or your boss. Instead, if you are unhappy or dissatisfied for any reason, you address your concern in a direct and straightforward way. You go to the person involved and deal with the issue. You take responsibility and take action.

You do not condemn or criticize your company, your boss, your products or services, or anything else about your work to the outside world. If you are not willing to do something about it, you keep it to your- self. You always support the people you work with and for. You demonstrate and express complete loyalty to the person who signs your paycheck. If you cannot do this for any reason, you should go somewhere else where you can.

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William Shakespeare once wrote, “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

You remain true to yourself by listening to your inner voice and trusting your conscience. Then, be true to everyone around you. Always live in truth by saying and doing only what you know to be honest and sincere. Never compromise your integrity for anything.

The good news is that when you live with complete integrity, inside and outside, you feel wonderful about yourself. You have greater self-confidence and higher self-esteem. You feel positive and powerful. And most of all, you earn the respect, trust, and loyalty of all the important people around you. Always guard your integrity as a sacred thing.