Warren Buffett, arguably one of the greatest examples of successful entrepreneurs and the 5th richest person in the world, once stated, “Look for three things in a person. Integrity, Intelligence, and Energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”
When describing the qualities that impact the business world, leaders often preach qualities such as hard work, leadership, and grit, but what is the most important quality that will help set yourself apart from everyone else? We asked this very question within our network of 73,000 business professionals on LinkedIn. In a survey, we provided three qualities to choose from: Optimism, Passion, and Integrity. These three qualities were chosen to best showcase the different challenges in business, which are that times of adversity require an optimistic mindset, and accomplishing your goals requires the passion to drive your efforts. However, most of all, having the moral principles instilled to be humble and honest requires a great deal of integrity. From the survey, 12% chose Optimism, with 32% choosing Passion, but the majority decided on Integrity.
Everyone has a Reputation
Perception is everything. Much like products and services, people subconsciously form an opinion of the individuals around them. For example, before ordering a product online, what do most of us do every time? We check the reviews. We ask ourselves, “What are people saying about this product? Is it effective? Is it consistent? Does it align with my standards?” These questions are understandable from the consumer’s perspective, but they can easily be applied to people. Your personal brand is a result from this subconscious effect you have on the individuals giving the reviews, and it can make or break your reputation. The best way to improve your reputation is to build trust with those around you and, as a result, receive glowing reviews.
Build Your Own Personal Values
Within every business, there is a list of values established to drive one singular goal and build a successful culture. A strong set of values gives you a competitive advantage as a business because you can build trust with your customers and clients as well as build a strong brand. Without having that trust, your business will slowly begin to fall apart at the seams, and lose credibility. This is especially important when building a culture that is made up of individuals who represent your brand daily.
Maintain Discipline Within a Culture
The definition of integrity is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” If this principle is something you strive to practice, you will naturally gain more discipline through living a life with strong moral principles. Discipline will foster new habits and routines that become a part of your life and help you become successful.
That is why, at CRG, we strive to follow our core values of being OTHERS Focused, an acronym of the following: Outrageous service, Teamwork, Honesty, Empathy, Resilience, and Servant Leadership. We want to build a culture and team environment that strives for integrity among all employees, clients, and candidates. To live by these values not only ensures the security of our relationships with our clients and candidates, but it secures the relationships we have with one another in the workplace. Integrity can be the difference between success and failure when working with people, and by showing honesty, compassion, and living by a strong set of morals and principles, you can be successful.
