Doing what you say

It it just me, or have we reached a point in society, where our word doesn't mean anything anymore?  It has been an interesting couple of months, where I have had people with contracts, just walk away, with no remorse or concern.

We see it every day in the media.  Pro athletes or coaches who just walk away from their agreements without regard to its impact on their team or organization.  It is like everything is great until I get a better offer or things get too uncomfortable, I will just move on.  Look at our political leaders.  How many times do we see them stand up in front of the cameras and say one thing, and then do something totally opposite, with no regard to what they just said.

I see it everyday in business, where people will make commitments to other people, and then totally disregard those commitments.  I have had people look me in the eye and say they would do something and then never follow through.

One of the areas we work with our clients on is core values.  In almost every situation, Integrity is one of the core values.  People believe that integrity is a critical component of success at all levels.  Integrity builds trust, and we all like to do business with people we trust.

However, more and more we talk about it more than we practice it.  Where I grew up, if a person gave their word that they were going to do something, you could take it to the bank that they would do what they said.

However in today's business climate, it is more about "Just tell them what they want to hear" as opposed to doing what they commit to do.

I have Integrity as one of my core values.  I wish I was perfect at this, but I am not.  I have done the very thing I am describing.  However, I have resolved to keep this at the forefront of my thinking, because my real desire to is to live up to my word.

I am committed to looking in the mirror every day to do a quick check of my integrity.  I want to be a person of integrity.  From integrity, trust is built.

How about you?

Mike