Without Integrity Nothing Works
by Bruce Hodes, CMI Teamwork
Wow, what a month. I, like some of you, have certainly lost value in the stock market. When looking at the next 12 months, the view is fuzzy at best. The media buzz saw has never been louder. So as a business owner and entrepreneur, where am I to stand when the very ground under my feet seems to be moving and shifting?
I belong to a training and development organization and we have a saying: “without integrity nothing works.” I find this statement to be inspiring and worth investigating. Let’s begin exploring this. First, what is the meaning of integrity? Second, what is the meaning of work? Third, how do they connect and what does this have to do with business?
Webster’s defines integrity as 1: incorruptibility 2 : an unimpaired condition : soundness 3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness.
Webster’s defines work as: 1: activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something: a sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective.
For me, having integrity is doing something as it is designed to be done and as it is expected by others to be done. Let’s say you are going to do something and you are going to do it the way you want but not the way it is expected to be done. For it to have integrity, you would simply let others know how you are doing it. It may have consequences and an impact, but for me, it would have integrity.
The concept of “working” points to whether or not something is functioning as it is supposed to. Working means that whatever you are referring to is able to fulfill its mission. There is a neutral aspect in this. We are not necessarily talking about high performance or the optimal solutions. However, if something does not work you surely will not get to high performance.
I am not a financial expert; however, as a business consultant with a MBA, I am also not a complete dunderhead in this area. Regarding the mortgage crisis and the subsequent financial products that were constructed from them, there appears to be a lack of integrity with mortgages being sold to and taken by people who could not pay them back. In that, where is the integrity? In addition, the financial products that were subsequently constructed were not fully understood or known, yet they were counted on like they were known and understood. Again, in this where is the integrity? One could say our current economic status is due to a lack of integrity.
It is important to distinguish integrity from morality. We are not talking about good vs. bad or right vs. wrong. Rather, we are asking about whether something is whole and complete and can stand up independently. Does the thing hold together? In reality is what you see, is what you really have.
So as business owners, what can we do and where can we stand as we confront these challenging business times? Personally, my integrity and the integrity of my business gives me a context to live by. I honor my word and do not allow circumstances to get in the way of “how” I do business. Instead, my values and my integrity guide my actions.
Specific recommendations I would make regarding integrity and workability would be the following.
- Have integrity in your financials. Know what you do and do not have. Do not let anything get mysterious in terms of to whom you owe money and who owes money to you. Be impeccable in the way you keep your books.
- Be honest with customers, vendors and suppliers. Let people know what they can expect from you and then follow through. If you are unable to do what you said initially, communicate that to your customers. Being in communication has integrity. Falling silent as you grapple with changing conditions does not.
- Using layoffs to get rid of marginal workers whom you are ambivalent about lacks integrity. If someone at your workplace is not a solid, consistent and valued employee, you should fire them and hire people who you feel can be great players in your workplace. Do not use these times to get rid of the less productive workers. Your workforce should already be lean and mean.
- Whenever possible, involve your employees in the discussion regarding layoffs, diminishing sales and how you are grappling with these tough economic decisions. Treat people as adults. I have seen some very successful things happen such as workers taking leaves of absences or pay cuts in order to support the long- term viability of the business.
- You are in business to serve your customers and through that you make money and a profit. For integrity to be present, help your customers deal with these economic and troubling times. Look for and create products that will help and support them.
In the midst of confusion and chaos in the market place, having integrity is a place for you and your organization to stand. This may not be easy because you could succumb to trying to survive at the risk of selling out your integrity. Make sure that there is integrity in what you do and that your actions are based on values and not just a reaction to circumstances. If you operate from the saying: “without integrity nothing works”, you will come out of this in a healthy and viable condition, and be way ahead of just surviving these times.
