What is integrity and how does it relate to your business? Today we will cover the basics of Integrity and how it can help you in your Paparazzi Jewelry business.
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Let’s first talk about what integrity means. So integrity means that you have the moral strength to be who you are at all times and a strong adherence to what you believe is right and wrong. It is related to the word integer which means “whole” or “entire”. Integrity means that you listen to your moral compass and make good choices no matter if anyone is watching or not. You do it because it’s the right thing to do.
I also bring up the relation to the word “integer” because I think it’s also important to note that we can’t have integrity party of the time or only in certain situations. We – our whole person – needs to be practicing integrity all the time.
Let’s talk about a few examples.
As a consultant, would you ignore policy and make some decisions in direct violation of Paparazzi standards if you felt if would give you a slight edge? Would you risk being suspended or even canceled if you thought you could hit some higher ranks or achievements faster?
Why risk it! In my 4 years with Paparazzi I have been told a few times by several different ladies that in order to succeed, I would need to bend the rules. Push the limits.
It was advice that never sat well with me because it wasn’t in harmony with my moral compass. And its been interesting to watch Karma catch up with them.
We have talked about Attraction Marketing before in several different podcasts, but this is another good time to mention it. If what you are doing is skirting the rules or even bending or full out breaking policy, what kinds of customers and other people are you wanting to attract to your business? You are going to attract others who are shady and not quite ethical too. I don’t know about you, but that’s not the way I want my business to grow!
A few years ago, I was attending a convnetion. It was highly inspiring and one speaker in particular really resonated with me. Her message was on being kind and positive in your business as you grow your teams and build your sales. I had SO many notes from her session! Just a little while later, we were taking a quick break for lunch and I went to the hotel mini-store.
I grabbed a snack and was waiting in line when a commotion at the cash register caught my attention. The clerk said, “I’m sorry ma’am. Hotel policy is that we can’t charge anything to your room without ID”. The woman at the counter threw a FIT!! She started cursing and sputtering at him asking for the manager and following all her demands with “Don’t you KNOW who I AM?!” The clerk was clearly trying to do his job and stood there a little dazed.
It was then that I noticed who she was. She was the speaker of the session I was just listening to moments earlier. I stepped up and told the clerk that I could vouch for her identity and he was able to then charge her purchase to her room. She turned on her heel and huffed out of the store without even a thank you to me or to him.
I was FLABBERGASTED! Her entire message of kindness and being positive seemed a little less genuine. More like she was catering to an audience and less like she was sharing a secret truth for happiness for life and business that she had discovered.
Now, in fairness, throughout the rest of the weekend there were several other times I observed her mistreating others and being less than positive. To this day, I can’t listen to any of her training or read her books without feeling slightly deceived.
She was not living her life in harmony with her message. She was one person on stage and another person in real life.
If you have ever tuned into one of my Live Facebook videos, I’m kind of a “what you see is what you get” kind of person. I enjoy laughing and having a good time. I’m also a little goofy – and all of this comes through in my live videos. I don’t try to hide who I really am because when I am truly myself, I’m more relate-able to others watching. And then if they meet me in person, they will know who I am!
So in this example, I feel like I’m showing my integrity to my customers and team members by being the same person on and off camera. I’m just me.
Another word that is used a lot in our industry is Transparency. This is another way of saying that you represent yourself in a way that you have nothing to hide. You are who you are and you aren’t afraid to be you. You don’t make choices in the hopes that you won’t get caught.
This kind of comes back to the integer part of the definition. Are you choosing to live ALL areas of your life with integrity? Do you deal honestly with your customers? Your family? At your job? Do you practice the lessons you are teaching your team and / or kids?
Another great example of this is with ordering. Are you telling your team to order order order and stock up their inventory and then only ordering the bare minimum yourself? Or are you challenging them to go out and pass out business cards to people at the grocery story or at the school when they pick up their kids and yet you don’t do the same yourself?
Having integrity in all areas of your life is a good way to life and a great way to run your business!!