What does integrity mean to you?
The official definition is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness; the state of bring whole and undivided.”
Is your integrity important to you and how do you feel about the integrity of your business? Though you may not put a lot of thought into your own integrity, when it comes to your business, you can be sure that your customers are thinking about it.
They want to know if you mean what you say and if you back up the quality of what you are providing to them. A business relationship is or should be built on trust and if you are at all concerned with the reputation of your company then acting with integrity will always help your business to succeed, no matter what type of business it is.
Integrity is a personality trait, one that begins to develop from a very young age and eventually becomes part of your character. Can it be learned? Since integrity is measured in different ways and looked at differently in other cultures, it can’t be taught to you. You have a certain level or standard of integrity which can be changed so that it is more consistent but you can’t grow it or improve upon it in any other way.
Improving your business integrity will mean taking a long look at your behaviour, breaking habit and reinforcing others which will help your business. The intent to change has to be there. Honesty, one of the most important facets of integrity, will be necessary in all of your business communications including promises to your customers.
Your own code of ethics tells you a lot about your own integrity and how you apply it to your business. While your ethics may have you follow rules, your integrity means you will always do the right thing, regardless of what those rules are.
While not everyone will agree that certain people, including themselves, are ethical, they can usually agree on who has integrity and who doesn’t. Looking at your business this way, from an outsider’s point of view, will often tell you whether or not you find integrity important.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2015
