THE IMPORTANCE OF HONESTY
Honesty has always been the best policy. There is no doubt about it. As students of management today, you may also become entrepreneurs and business owners tomorrow – and honesty and control for honesty would still be important for you in several ways. So, you must know a few important ways to demonstrate honesty and integrity in your business.
Know that in business, there is no one-size-fits-all model. Every company is different. Corporate and office dynamics change each year. Employees’ behaviors also change. So also, customer behavior changes. And the only way to address all of this is to remember to always remain honest about what’s going on in your business.
HOW TO CONTROL FOR HONESTY AND INTEGRITY
- Keep your word
If you would want to establish a solid reputation you must deliver on your promises. Without excuses and without a change of conditions, let your yes be a yes and where your convictions demand it, let your no be a no.
- Keep your commitments
If you say that you are going to be somewhere at 11am, be there at 11am. If you think you are going to be late or suspect your prior appointment might run over, be sure to inform. Being on time and where you say you are going to be will speak a lot about the character of a business. Letting people down by failing to show up or by having little regard for another’s time is a definite way to damage your reputation.
- Pay attention to your environment
Your environment gives clues about your identity and you cannot afford to be messy, unkempt and unprepared. Organization and cleanliness conveys volumes about integrity, not just towards other people, but to yourselves as a company. You must remember that the entire world is a spectator and it pays to put your best foot forward at all times.
- Stay focused
It is very easy to get tempted by distractions and other opportunities crying out for attention, but it would be important to stay focused on what’s honest and true. If you are on a job, stay focused on that job until you see the result you want. Putting your all into something will draw admirers for you.
- Surround yourself with honest people
Surrounding yourself with people offering solid character and a positive attitude would be crucial for your company’s integrity as a whole. The people you would employ should not only be highly respected in their field, but offer great influence to the others around them. Surrounding yourself with honest people will allow integrity to permeate the air.
- Take responsibility
Always remember that everyone makes mistakes and this is true in both personal and professional life. Showing integrity means admitting to these mistakes and not being afraid to say that you are sorry for having got it wrong.
HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
Ever since we were children, we all have been taught to be honest– and there is no reason why that shouldn’t carry into our professional lives too. Not only is honesty simply the best policy as a matter of principle, it also makes good business sense.