Tips & Talk 37 – The Many Faces of Integrity for Personal and Business Growth
People with high integrity are known as being trustworthy, dependable and someone you can rely on. Living with integrity is important because it can determine the depth of your relationships and the success of your business.
When you start showing up as I describe in this episode, you build your integrity muscle. Along with that comes the feeling of achievement and a boost to your self confidence. Not only does the world look brighter and more interesting, YOU are proving to yourself that you have the power to make things happen.
Let’s dive deeper into a part of what integrity is and how it can affect your personal life and business results.
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Transcript
Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue.
Speaker:And thanks for joining me for tips and talk day.
Speaker:These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and
Speaker:things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.
Speaker:If you'd like to submit a topic,
Speaker:DME, over on Instagram at gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped integrity,
Speaker:have you ever given this word much thought pulling from a
Speaker:blog article titled the true meaning of integrity by so young
Speaker:Kang? When I look at integrity,
Speaker:it's defined as a concept of consistency of actions,
Speaker:values, methods,
Speaker:measures, principles,
Speaker:expectations, and outcomes in ethics.
Speaker:Integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of
Speaker:one's actions.
Speaker:To me,
Speaker:one facet of integrity is being true to your word.
Speaker:People with high integrity are known as being trustworthy,
Speaker:dependable, and someone you can rely on and living with integrity
Speaker:is important because it can determine the depth of your relationships
Speaker:and the success of your business.
Speaker:I don't think this word gets the attention and the focus
Speaker:it deserves.
Speaker:It also is an area that presents a huge opportunity.
Speaker:And that's why I want to focus on it today.
Speaker:Let's dive deeper into a part of what integrity is and
Speaker:how it can affect your personal life and business results.
Speaker:A facet of integrity that you may not have ever considered
Speaker:before is in conjunction with how you treat yourself personal integrity.
Speaker:This is how it can show up,
Speaker:or let's go into how it looks.
Speaker:If you don't treat yourself with integrity,
Speaker:you say you're going to get up early and work out.
Speaker:Your intentions are salad the night before,
Speaker:but when that alarm goes off,
Speaker:you push the snooze button again and again,
Speaker:until it's too late to fit in that morning walk before
Speaker:you head into the office.
Speaker:Here's another one you voiced interest in seeing the Northeast you've
Speaker:heard new England is beautiful and love the idea of seeing
Speaker:some of the historical landmarks marking our country's birth.
Speaker:But up to this point,
Speaker:it's just been talk.
Speaker:You haven't pursued even the first step in making this happen.
Speaker:It's all conversation between you and you.
Speaker:There are so many places where we can fall down on
Speaker:the integrity scale to ourselves,
Speaker:losing weight,
Speaker:going back to school,
Speaker:eating healthier,
Speaker:spending more time with extended family.
Speaker:I know you can easily add to this list and I
Speaker:don't bring these things up to make you feel bad.
Speaker:Believe me,
Speaker:I'm guilty of this too.
Speaker:Even someone who displays solid,
Speaker:personal integrity will slip up from time to time.
Speaker:Here's the thing,
Speaker:though. It's the recognition of your behavior,
Speaker:where you can find a path to improvement.
Speaker:How would it feel to finally take the action needed to
Speaker:lose some weight?
Speaker:It doesn't have to be 25 or 50 pounds.
Speaker:How about just that first five?
Speaker:Or what would you say to yourself?
Speaker:If you finally signed up for that watercolor class that you've
Speaker:been eyeing for years,
Speaker:you see,
Speaker:when you start showing up for yourself in ways like this,
Speaker:you build your integrity muscle.
Speaker:Along with that comes the feeling of achievement and a boost
Speaker:to your self-confidence.
Speaker:Not only does the world look brighter and more interesting.
Speaker:You are proving to yourself that you have the power to
Speaker:make things happen.
Speaker:Let's shift now and talk about how this looks on the
Speaker:flip side,
Speaker:meaning showing integrity to others.
Speaker:A big part of this is that when you say you'll
Speaker:do something,
Speaker:it actually gets done.
Speaker:Honestly, this sounds so simple,
Speaker:but when push comes to shove,
Speaker:it doesn't happen.
Speaker:I'm talking about things like showing up on time for lunch
Speaker:with a friend or gosh,
Speaker:following up to even set up the lunch that you said
Speaker:you would sending the link to an article,
Speaker:a website,
Speaker:or a photo that you had a conversation about.
Speaker:And you offered to share returning borrowed items or repaying casual
Speaker:loans in a timely manner.
Speaker:I'm sure you can tell me right now about some people
Speaker:in your life who,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you can't count on.
Speaker:They're always late.
Speaker:They never follow through with commitments and you already know they
Speaker:are all talk.
Speaker:No action.
Speaker:At least with these people,
Speaker:you already know that whatever comes out of their mouth is
Speaker:questionable. The harder situations are aware.
Speaker:You believe what you're being told and then are let down.
Speaker:When it doesn't happen,
Speaker:I can only speak for myself,
Speaker:but I'll tell you my relationships with these people is much
Speaker:more of a surface level relationship,
Speaker:not the deep,
Speaker:rich friendships I cherish and the ones that enrich my life.
Speaker:I had someone telling me she was putting something in the
Speaker:mail to me last November.
Speaker:I still don't have it.
Speaker:I know people who say they'll finish a project by a
Speaker:certain date,
Speaker:and then they don't even bother telling me that it won't
Speaker:be completed on time.
Speaker:And I'm paying for their services.
Speaker:I've been on committees where people don't follow through on assigned
Speaker:responsibilities. They just flat out decided they're not going to do
Speaker:it. And that leaves everybody else hanging.
Speaker:There are so many problems with this.
Speaker:Oftentimes people are counting on you and by delaying action or
Speaker:not action,
Speaker:you disrupt others plans or the ability to get a project
Speaker:on at all.
Speaker:I really don't understand how people think it's fair not to
Speaker:follow through or are blind to the ripple effects of their
Speaker:non-action with friends.
Speaker:I have to say,
Speaker:I put up with this behavior to some degree,
Speaker:but with friends like that,
Speaker:we don't get together often because I don't even know for
Speaker:certain that scheduled plans are actually going to happen on the
Speaker:business end.
Speaker:I've separated myself from at least two significant relationships and several
Speaker:minor ones to come to think of it because it's just
Speaker:not worth the hassle.
Speaker:I also don't want to be associated with that behavior because
Speaker:it can rub off and affect your reputation too.
Speaker:Here's the thing about business integrity.
Speaker:There is such a lack of it out there that when
Speaker:you do stay true to your word are honest in dealing
Speaker:with customers and follow through timely.
Speaker:With commitments.
Speaker:People notice I've observed over and over again.
Speaker:That success comes to those who exhibit a high level of
Speaker:integrity. That's why I wanted to bring up this topic to
Speaker:begin with repeat sales,
Speaker:new customers and opportunities.
Speaker:Continue to come the way of people who display integrity,
Speaker:because others feel confident referring their products and services.
Speaker:I hope this hasn't come across as a major gripe session.
Speaker:I'd actually use another word,
Speaker:but I don't want to mark this show as explicit.
Speaker:My intention here is for you to give this some thought,
Speaker:what grade would you give yourself when it comes to exhibiting
Speaker:integrity in your life,
Speaker:integrity to yourself.
Speaker:So personal integrity,
Speaker:and then also integrity that you show to others.
Speaker:If you've been lackadaisical,
Speaker:I challenge you to up your game on the personal side,
Speaker:start with something that you've been telling yourself.
Speaker:You do clean out your closet schedule and show up to
Speaker:your annual physical pick.
Speaker:One thing you've said you're going to do,
Speaker:but haven't gotten to yet,
Speaker:and then follow through in business,
Speaker:review your company procedures to make sure your actions match the
Speaker:expectations you've set to your customers.
Speaker:And then before making any new commitments,
Speaker:take a deep breath and do a double-check ask yourself,
Speaker:will I really be able?
Speaker:And do I want to follow through with this?
Speaker:If not,
Speaker:don't commit.
Speaker:Don't say you'll do something in the moment and then not
Speaker:back up your words.
Speaker:Now, listen,
Speaker:there will be times when adjustments need to be made to
Speaker:what you've agreed or promised to do.
Speaker:That's okay.
Speaker:Integrity also means following through when something needs to change,
Speaker:acknowledging that you do remember what you committed to and addressing
Speaker:how you need to change the plan based on new information
Speaker:or situations is still living with integrity.
Speaker:Totally ignoring the commitment as if you've never made.
Speaker:It is not.
Speaker:Okay. Are you with me?
Speaker:Let's agree right here and now to work on this together,
Speaker:to be aware and place weight on the importance of integrity
Speaker:in our lives to ourselves and to others know better,
Speaker:do better,
Speaker:be better.
Speaker:That's a wrap.
Speaker:I'm a get to the point kind of girl.
Speaker:And this is what you can expect from these quick midweek
Speaker:sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream
Speaker:of yours.
Speaker:Share your handmade products with us.