I read with interest this short article about three traits Warren Buffett looks for when hiring someone: Intelligence, Energy and Integrity. He values each one, but he says if they don’t have integrity, the other two don’t count.
Integrity is tough. It takes a lifetime to create and only a second to lose. Another way to look at it is that integrity is not created in a crisis; rather it’s exposed in a crisis. What I find amazing is the number of companies that lose their way due to a lack of integrity. But let’s think about this for a moment: A company doesn’t have integrity; it’s the people in the company who have integrity.
Reading the article has caused me to reflect on what integrity means to me and how does my integrity reflect itself with my wife, family, company and clients?
People say you can’t measure integrity because you can’t see it, feel it, touch it, etc. I say that’s not true. You can measure it. Integrity is measured in how I handle myself. It’s measured in how those around me respond and act.
We all create what I call an “integrity circle.” This is the circle of impact our own level of integrity has on others. When a company behaves poorly, it’s due to somebody’s integrity circle not living up to standards. I’m making it my objective to strive to have an integrity circle that lives up to the highest standards.
What you choose is your decision, but I’ll argue the integrity you display will in time show up in your company’s top-line sales numbers and bottom-line profits.
Copyright 2017, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
