Leaders Do What They Say

THE #1 REASON BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS FAIL: LACK OF INTEGRITY

Whether you are the Employer or the Employee, upon one hinge hangs your success. Integrity. Doing what you say you are going to do.

Virtually all of the working public will claim that they have mastered this skill. Yet we all know that this is rarely the case, and can most likely create a laundry list of individuals where this skill has not even begun to be mastered. While it is most likely easy to identify those who lack this trait, take the time to also ask yourself:

• Do you do what you say you are going to do even though you dislike or disagree with the authority above you?
• Do you do what you say you are going to do despite the environment not being what you expected or were told it would be?
• Do you do what you say you are going to do even if it requires more of you than you thought or were told would be the case?

Integrity really has nothing to do with anyone else but you. Either you have it or you don’t. When no one is watching is really when your integrity is on the line.

In our company, we create systems for our clients that will allow them to monitor all of the activity of their staff even in virtual employee situations. The most disappointing reality we are retained to minimize is the dramatic lack of integrity of company employees once they believe they are out of the watchful eye of their superiors. As an employee, there are three critical things you can do to alleviate this concern with your employers:

1. Report the Facts Often: If you are assigned to a project, make consistent and regular entries on the reporting platforms your employer has created to evaluate your activity. If your employer has not implemented any formal reporting platform, create one. This pro-active approach will send a solid message to your superiors that you have the one quality that they know cannot be taught: Integrity. Further, we all know: Integrity means advancement over time. Regardless of where you may ultimately work, or who you may work for.

2. Go Beyond the Call: Employers love employees that go beyond the call to get things done with excellence. Many employers battle with employees who want to simply do whatever is the minimum to get by. This breeds distrust, lack of focus, and definitely shortens the professional life you as an employee hope to have.

3. Stay in Your Lane: Do not waste time meddling with other areas of the business outside of your area of influence. You were not hired to save the world or judge those that under perform in their position. You were hired to complete with excellence the tasks of the position you were hired for. Resist the temptation to elevate yourself by putting others down. This does not bode well with most employers, and often causes more issues than it resolves.

Being a leader and a person of integrity is a simple: Do what you say you are going to do. You don’t always have to do more, but certainly do no less. You will build unlimited value no matter where your professional future takes you.

If you enjoyed this article, we would appreciate your feedback. Our goal is to bring the most common challenges in the professional world to the forefront so they can be overcome by both employer AND employee. We work with companies around the world as consultants to source the most effective strategies that yield the greatest impact and positive results