The Importance Of Honesty And Integrity In Business

Why is integrity important in leadership?

Having honesty and integrity in the workplace is one of the most important qualities of great leadership in business and I am going to tell you why…
Integrity In Business And How It Translates To Success

Whenever I hold a strategic planning session, the first value that all the executives agree on is integrity. Leaders know that honesty and integrity are the foundations of leadership. Leaders stand up for what they believe in.

For example, Jon Huntsman, Sr. is a multibillionaire who started a chemical company from scratch and grew it into a $12 billion enterprise. His book, Winners Never Cheat, is filled with stories taken from his own experience in which he steadfastly refused to compromise his principles. Huntsman says that integrity is the reason that he has been as successful as he is.

“There are no moral shortcuts in the game of business or life,” he writes. “There are, basically, three kinds of people, the unsuccessful, the temporarily successful, and those who become and remain successful. The difference is character.”
Great Leaders Never Compromise Their Honesty And Integrity By Cheating

There are many examples of temporary winners who won by cheating. For a number of years, Enron was cited as one of America’s most innovating and daring companies. The CEO of the company knew the most important people in the country, including the President of the United States. Except that Enron’s success was built on lies, and the “winners” who headed the company are case studies in lack of integrity.
Integrity Means Doing The Right Thing Because It’s The Right Thing To Do

Leaders with integrity may not be the most famous or flashy of leaders, and they don’t care. Integrity means doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do. And that’s what makes success.
Importance Of Integrity In Giving And Keeping Promises

Leaders keep their promises. They give promises carefully, even reluctantly, but once they have given that promise, they follow through on that promise without fail. And they always tell the truth.

Jack Welch calls it “candor.” He believes that if you are afraid of candor, then you don’t have the guts to be an effective leader. You are going to surround yourself with yes people who will say what you want to hear instead of saying the truth.
Leaders With Integrity Aren’t Afraid Of The Truth

Leaders with integrity is not afraid to face the truth. This is called the reality principle, or “seeing the world as it really is, not as you wish it to be.” It is perhaps the most important principle of leadership and dependent on integrity because it demands truthfulness and honesty. Many companies and organizations fail because they don’t follow the reality principle.

Integrity means telling the truth even if the truth is ugly. Better to be honest than to delude others, because then you are probably deluding yourself, too.

Leaders need to be courageous, but they also need to be open to the idea that they could be wrong. There are many leaders who eventually fail because they refuse to question their own assumptions or conclusions.


“Errant assumptions lie at the root of every failure.” – Alec Mackenzie

There’s a difference between being confident and blind. Let’s face it, in today’s world of rapid change, there is a possibility that you are partially wrong or even completely wrong. Maybe you are not wrong, but just opening yourself to to that possibility is going to make you a more effective leader because it will open your mind to new ideas or new thinking.
Conclusion

There should be no exceptions to honesty and integrity. Integrity is a state of mind and is not situational. If you compromise your integrity in small situations with little consequence, then it becomes very easy to compromise on the small situations.

Leaders with integrity always err on the side of fairness, especially when other people are unfair. As a matter of fact, the true mark of leadership is how fair you can be when other people are treating you unfairly.

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Why A Positive Attitude Is Best For You

Of all things you can adopt for yourself, you would be hard-pressed to find something better than a positive attitude. If you believe you have a realistic approach in life and that is what must prevail above all others, perhaps some thoughts on a positive attitude and the benefits that can bring you, could persuade you to open your mind towards acquiring it.

Sometimes we don't realize why we go towards things that express frustration, anger, ill feelings about people, situations of family life, the government, the wife, the husband, the environment etc. all of which, if we allow them to persevere in our life, can change our perception of what reality is, simply because we see them from one angle alone.

All expressions of this side of seeing things is not a healthy way to be about in life. They can stop us from being resourceful and from seeking solutions to everything we see as problems that upset us. It is not very useful and encouraging for others to see us carrying this kind of 

attitude.

Imagine if instead, we present ourselves with ideas to overcome most things that clutter our judgment and project forward a resourceful way of dealing with things, like talking about other ways to see what is difficult, complex, hurtful, abusive, repulsive or hateful.

And what if we persist on smiling, on focusing our thoughts to find solutions, on giving plenty to others without reservation, especially on treating others in a more loveable way without fear of rejection.

Do you think if you took this way of behaving would attract a different response from others? I believe this other way of being not only will change your life, your health and your financial position but will also make you a more caring person to everyone around you. Even if you don't believe it until you make an effort to deviate from taking the pessimistic side of things in life, and go onto the different side of reasoning, that lies in the resourceful state, the creative state, the solution-seeking state, it is extremely difficult to see gains in your life.

Dwelling in the half empty measures, the negative attitudes, the resentments about all things, on blaming everyone else and everything else for your misfortunes is not going to get anything in your life solved. But you already know that, so, trying the other angle, "the positive way" as many people would call it, seems quite a logical thing to do.

If being resentful, blame full, uncaring, angry, boastful, impolite and provocative do not get us anything truly worthwhile and make us look negative in so many ways to others, why not make an effort to overcome little by little all those traits to start having a positive attitude and seeing a change in how we are perceived by others.

Looks like by eliminating all those traits, you can begin to make small changes in your attitude, small enough steps to build a muscle of gradual improvement to overcome ingrained negativity. If you persist with this new way of behaving and make it sustainable, you will be, eventually, unstoppable. Nothing can resist your new level of positive attitude that is all-conquering, charming and effective in just about any endeavour you care to take.

You will always be welcome by everyone and doors will be open to you because it is the new you with the all-powerful attitude, "the positive attitude" that you so much wanted since the days of the "half empty glass" and the "partially cloudy skies" and the gloomy statistics of doom that you used to believe.

Now you are not sarcastic and nasty and do not have time for sadness, illness, abusive manners and provocation that so much hurt others and got you nothing but rejection. No, you are now totally the opposite, the charming, kind, smiley, courteous, giving, always ready to help kind of person that others love to be with, help and admire.

How beautiful is that? To all those that knew you as a negative, stressful type of person to be with, now they love you and respect you and want to help you because they want to reciprocate your changed positive personality. Great news!

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How To Experience Happiness When Your Goal Seems Far Away

Your Journey through Life

Life, in its entirety is short, but looking ahead, the future seems so far away for some of us. In fact, for most of us, the hope of actually reaching that expected future decreases as we encounter different obstacles along the way.

You’ve been told to follow your passion. With this inner energy, you then break all bridges leading to your past or to things and people that’ll slow you down. And you launch forward, with all the strength and optimism you’ve got inside you.

But you do all this with one expectation in mind, “I can’t wait to truly become happy”. For some reason, you believe that it is only when you have attained that expected future that you can really live that happy lifestyle you’ve always wanted.

The truth is that happiness should not be a goal, but a lifestyle. Life is too short for you to want to attain happiness. You need to live it!

A trip isn’t interesting because of the destination, but because of the journey itself. Sometimes, if you get to your destination too fast, you miss out on all the fun the trip has to offer.

Here are three reasons you want to take your time, smell the roses and experience happiness all the way through your journey of life.


1. You’ll See Disappointment as Feedback

Failure and disappointment is simply feedback which tells you that you’re probably doing something wrong. But if you struggle through life with an unhappy mindset, failure will become a sign to stop whatever it is you’re doing and go back to your old life.

As a guy with a dominant Melancholy temperament, disappointment didn’t mean that I had to rethink or retrace my steps. I personalised failure, and as a result, regular depression was my interpretation of a “normal life”. It wasn’t until I discovered what I had passion for that I started to see hope at the end of the tunnel. But seeing it wasn’t enough.

On the road to success, failure is inevitable (the gurus have told us that multiple times). But your thought process determines just how you perceive that failure. Someone with a negative mindset would start to “see himself as a failure”, just as I did. Whereas having a positive mindset about life makes you see failure as a sign to “retrace your steps and re-strategize”.

Following your passion demands that you have the hope and happiness that comes with it. Why? This is because although you may not attain that dream as fast as you want it, the expectation of achievement is what then makes you happy. It is having that end goal in mind that helped me see disappointment as just mere diversions off course. This is how it should be.


2. Bumps in the Road Become Opportunities to Explore

“An opportunity is a gift, but it often comes in ugly wrappers called disappointments”

Imagine this scenario:

“You and your friends decide to cross the border to Mexico, so you get on the bus. Halfway through the trip, one of the tyres at the front of the bus goes flat. After a successful manoeuvre to the side of the road, all heads turn to the driver and he says, ‘Sorry, you’ll have to stay here and wait a while. I was hoping this wouldn’t happen because I don’t have a spare. I’ll have to walk back a few miles to town and get something. I’m so sorry.’”

Now that’s a major error! Three things can happen here:
You can gang up and beat up the driver to a pulp for his carelessness
Raise your voice at him until you develop a headache
Get out of the bus and use your enthusiasm and youthful energy to do something fun for the next few hours (don’t ask me what)

Beating up the driver is like breaking the bridge to your future, so that you never get there. Insulting him is like believing yourself to be a failure and allowing negative thoughts to weigh you down. Exploring friendship and doing something fun means your happiness on the inside is not determined by your attainment of certain external conditions, which at present, may not be favourable.


3. You Attain Your Passion with Quality Relationships

Whenever you go on a trip, you always meet someone new. And you can either make this person smile, or piss him off. Following your passion and pursuing your life goals is like the bus trip But at this point, would you prefer to come down the bus alone, without any friends, or would you prefer to say to someone, “Hey, since we’re here now, can you show me around? Let’s have some fun together”.

Having a bad attitude and approach towards life can cause you to repel everyone around you. In your own mind, you’re working towards attaining happiness at the end of the tunnel. But to the people around you, you’re just one unhappy person who thinks you can do it all on your own.

On the road to achieving your dreams, you need to find fulfilment at every step of the way. It’s this fulfilment that causes you to experience happiness. And regardless of your passion, fulfilment always comes when you’ve made the life of someone else better. It comes with the achievement of purpose.

So, is there any blueprint to continually staying happy? None that I know of (except for this model and this framework developed by Brendan). But here are a few things you should do.


1. Stop Taking Life Too Seriously

“Life waits for no man. So why wait to get pissed over what it gives to you?”

Being able to see disappointment as what they really are (mere diversions) has helped me see life as what it really is (an adventure to be explored).

For every time you wait to mull over some disappointment or mishap, the clock ticks away. And for every time you take an offence to heart for something done to you by a friend, a part of you feels sad, not happy.

I was once scolded by a friend for “taking things too seriously”. Being the kind of person I was, it was only normal to analyse situations and judge people based on my knowledge of them. But this kind of criticism made me see the imperfections in people and what life gave me in return was constant heartbreak; because neither man nor situation is perfect.

Life has a knack of handing over crap to us. You can choose to stand in one spot and complain about that crap, or you can shove it right back at life and move on with better things. Sooner or later, it’ll realise that you’re not the kind of person to mess with and will eventually give you what you deserve.


2. Focus on the Present with an Open Mind

“Anxiety gets you nowhere. It only gives you something to think about.”

With the future seeming so far off, it’s possible to get anxious along the way. Focusing too much on the future can make you take irrational steps in the present due to anxiety. While it is important to dream big, it is also necessary to think in small steps.

Being able to cherish short accomplishments at different times helped me change different beliefs I had about life. At one time, a short term goal of mine was to be able to “talk with a friend for 30 minutes without getting boring.” While this may sound awkward, I needed to achieve it, especially if I was going to talk with a group of people for hours and still keep them interested. This goal was hard for me on many occasions, but when I did achieve it, it left a mark- a positive mark.

Multiple short term goals lead to the ultimate long term goal. Every short term goal is an opportunity to experience happiness, as long as you have an open mind. Work towards each short term goal with an open mind that doesn’t see failure as a hindrance but as a red light that tells you to stop and rethink.


3. Stay Positive and Smile at Every Little Accomplishment

“Replenish your positive energy every step of the way because no one will do it for you.”

On your journey to success and complete freedom, you’ll need to stay positive all the way (I’m sure you knew that). Positive thinking is not optional. It’s like the background ingredient that makes everything work.

By accomplishing each specific short term goal, you become fulfilled, especially when it’s aligned with your purpose. And when this happens, learn to smile at yourself. Smiling not only gives you the pride of achievement, it also creates positive beliefs, such as the belief that “if I could achieve this goal, then I can achieve every other one”. And for years now, this has been a belief that has helped me build quality relationships. That’s positivity, fulfilment and the experience of happiness in one smile.


For the Comments

On the journey to fulfilling your dreams, what makes you happy? Do you believe that it’s possible to experience happiness even before attaining your desired goals in life? I’d love to know what you think.

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7 Ways to Tell People the Truth Without Hurting Their Feelings

It seems to me that we have been living in a world that is unwilling to share the truth. More and more I meet people who are willing to talk about someone, more than we are willing to talk to someone.

Several people that I have met have been walking around bitter and angry and seem to almost relish that chip on their shoulder, but will do nothing about it. What the world needs today are real truth tellers.

These are men and women who compassionately speak the truth in love to the people around them.

So if you’re struggling to tell people the truth without hurting their feelings, what do you do?

Here’s 7 ways you can start telling the truth and sparing people’s feelings at the same time:

1. Build Relationships Built on Truth

Maybe it is because of the media or maybe it is because we fear being labeled as too judgmental or narrow minded, but we have built too many relationships on lies.

There is many places to look if we are going to place blame. But the truth is this. If we love our friends and our neighbors we must steel ourselves and tell people the truth. I appreciate it when someone tells me the truth.

Sure not right at the moment.

But eventually it dawns on me that the truth is helping me to quit playing the fool. The man who thinks that he can dance, but looks more like a person with some sort of muscular issue needs to be told or better shown what he looks like.

A woman who has ambition to sing on the next season of the Voice needs to be told up front that she sounds like the cat yowling. This is how we build honest relationships. If we have built our relationships on that model it becomes easier to gently break the truth to others.


THINK OF A MARRIAGE THAT HAS BEEN BUILT ON LIES. HOW CAN IT SURVIVE ON SUCH A WEAK FOUNDATION?

All relationships are in similar peril unless we build them on the bedrock of truth.


Understand this fact: the truth ultimately comes out no matter what so it might as well come out on your terms right at the front. If not your friend who sings like a cat will discover that you knew she would look like a fool in front of the nation and you did nothing to stop her.

Build your relationships on truth.



2. Be a Consistent Truth Teller

As with anything, practice helps us to become better at what we do. When the Olympics comes, millions of people sitting on their couches eating cake are thinking that they could out run, out swim and generally outperform every athlete out there.

But the truth is that they have not put in the practice to perform at that level. With practice I could work to get a gold medal for telling the truth. But if I want to do that I need to practice at every opportunity that I get.

Yes there are risks involved. You will do it wrong sometimes. But taking the opportunity to practice will make it more natural to you and you will be able to share the truth in a caring manner, that will get you to the podium in life.




3. Redirect

As you share the truth with someone they will feel hurt and maybe embarrassed.

You can offset those feelings by redirecting them to something that they do well. In some situations you can help them find the silver lining in some disastrous situation. In all situations you can help them move from grief to healing.



4. Be Humble

I love the truth and I love to hear the truth spoken.

However, some folks have this sound in their voice that seems to insult and attack the person.


“I TOLD YOU THAT YOUR MAN WOULD CHEAT ON YOU.”

Wow! That is not the way to do it. Be there as the bearer of love.

When you know the truth, control your emotions and plainly, with sincere care in your voice share the truth. This is not the time to insult and tear down. Yes you will cause pain.

Many years ago I had a root canal and the dentist had to cause pain to relieve my pain. He did not seem to take any pleasure from the activity. Delicately he performed the operation with care and ensured as much comfort as possible.

When we share the truth with someone we should do so in a similar fashion.


5. Use Story

For the creative among us you can use fables, parables or other story line feature to help expose the truth to the person that you are working with.

By using this technique you are illustrating the concern and the person that you are speaking with will be able to receive the information without being guarded or defensive.

Many years ago I was working with some youth who had consistently gotten themselves into trouble. They would complain about any punishment the school, parents or justice system might throw at them.

Using story I told them about a man who complained about a broken hand. He had broken his hand because he liked to hit it with a hammer. The pain that he inflicted on himself was incredible. But despite warnings of professionals he kept up the practice.


The youth all said that was stupid and that the man was a fool for not listening to the professionals. When I pointed out that they were making a similar choice they were silent and the message was received.


6. Guard Your Non Verbal’s:

Over time I have met some folks who have a powerful poker face when it comes to hiding their true feelings.

But the truth is that most folks loosen up too much and expose what they are really thinking.

When we are trying to share the truth in a caring way it helps to let your face know that you care. Keep yourself from looking smug or arrogant in any way. One technique is to share the information using comforting gestures as if you were stretching for a hug.

This makes the conversation safe and enables you to share the truth without hurting anyone’s feelings.


7. Share the Truth Over Food & Fellowship

Food and fun make the telling of truth so much easier.

Create a good atmosphere and encourage happiness and joy. Express caring and a servant heart as you care for this person that you are about to share truth with. Something about the food makes the whole process easier and lightens any tension that might show itself.


Summary

Love without truth is not really love.

Truth without love is cruel. We must find the place where these two concepts meet and express our love for mankind in truth. Sharing truth can save a person from embarrassment or potentially painful circumstances.

Doing such things makes you heroic. We all should live such heroic lives.

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