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Elements of Success: Integrity
22 Plays8 years ago
This episode is the 5th episode of the Elements of Success series. Each week I'm going to post a new element that I believe that will contribute to your success in your endeavors. The 5th element is integrity.
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For more info on integrity, here's a few articles I read while doing research for the show:
The True Meaning of Integrity | HuffPost
http://bit.ly/2f75WII
Preserving Integrity - Career Development From MindTools.com
http://bit.ly/2w4gPPr
Success Will Come and Go, But Integrity Is Forever
http://bit.ly/2vmDN6J
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Track Produced by: Devo Beats
Recorded, Produced and Edited by: Éliane Anita
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Elements of Success' Series
00:00:16
Speaker
Hi guys, welcome to the Alianna Nita podcast. I'm your host, Alianna, and I'm so excited to have you join me for today's show. If you've been following along with me, you know that I am in the middle of a series entitled, Elements of Success, things I believe you need in order to be successful.
00:00:35
Speaker
Last week I had my first guest on the show by the name of Dr. Pam Rawls. So if you did not check out that podcast, please go back to last week's episode and check it out. If you're interested in learning more about Dr. Rawls, the serving leader and loving intensive and the mentoring mandate, and also her books and resources, or even to book her, please go to kingdomld.org and you'll find all of her information there.
Key Element: Integrity
00:01:03
Speaker
So without further ado, let's jump into today's element. Today's element is integrity. Integrity is defined as the adherence to moral and ethical principles soundness or moral character. Honestly, the state of being whole, entire, and undiminished.
00:01:25
Speaker
I wanted to talk about integrity because in today's society, integrity seems like it is a lost art. People are lying on resumes and job applications to make themselves seem more qualified. People are saying anything just to say, seem credible. We are skipping steps just to get to success quicker.
00:01:47
Speaker
And it seems like integrity is not necessary to be successful, but I want to tell you that is not true. You need integrity if you want to have lasting success. If you haven't heard of a company named Enron, Enron was one of America's top energy companies. People believe that Enron was going to change the way we used and looked at energy.
00:02:14
Speaker
Enron made billions of dollars, but somewhere along the lines, Enron fell into a lot of debt and their executives tried to hide billions of dollars overseas. When they knew that the company was getting ready to crash, the top executives pulled out all of the money that they could so that they wouldn't feel the blow of what was getting ready to happen.
00:02:37
Speaker
Enron fell bankruptcy, therefore causing thousands of employees to lose their life savings in 401k. Many people committed suicide and a lot of their top executives are sitting in jail right now, all because they lacked integrity.
Integrity in Business Examples
00:02:56
Speaker
Integrity requires for you to make a decision about who you are and what you're going to deliver.
00:03:02
Speaker
It requires you to come in alignment with values, morals, and standards. Your integrity is what sets you apart. Believe it or not, your integrity starts with how you think about yourself. Integrity requires for you to come to a resolve about who you are and what you represent.
00:03:20
Speaker
Integrity reveals your character, your self-esteem, your confidence, and your discipline. If you're someone that believes that you have a purpose and something to contribute to the world, before you can offer the world your purpose, you must first believe that you have something to offer. Then after you believe it, you can start to express it in the things that you think, the things that you say. Everything you do will reflect who you believe that you are. Integrity starts on the inside first.
00:03:49
Speaker
The Bible says in Proverbs 11 and 3, the integrity of the upright guides them, but the quirkiness of the treacherous destroys them. Integrity is the beat to your drum and it creates the path in which you should choose. Integrity sets your standards and through it you get to choose what you accept and what you do not. For an example, Whole Foods. If you know anything about Whole Foods, you know that Whole Foods is a natural and organic
00:04:16
Speaker
grocery store and they do not sell products that has been processed or treated with hormones or grown with chemicals. They set a high standard on the quality of food that they sell and they require that their vendors do the same thing.
00:04:32
Speaker
By using integrity, Whole Foods has set themselves apart and created a distinct market. You can do the same thing for yourself and your business. Integrity is how you build a name for yourself and your company and it's how you build trust. It's your guarantee to deliver what you say you're going to deliver and when you're going to deliver it.
00:04:53
Speaker
Think about Amazon. Amazon is known for now Amazon Prime that can get you whatever you order to your doorstep within two business days. And now Amazon has linked up with the US Postal Service to ensure that on Sundays you can still get your packages.
00:05:11
Speaker
Nothing stops Amazon from keeping their word to their customer and the same can be true for you. Nothing should stop you from keeping your word to your kids that you're going to help them with their homework and take them for a scoop of ice cream. Nothing should stop you from keeping your word to your spouse saying that you're not going to work late. Nothing should stop you from keeping your word to yourself when you say you're going to work out every day.
Consistency and Association with Integrity
00:05:36
Speaker
Integrity requires consistency.
00:05:39
Speaker
Consistency with your words, consistency with your actions, and consistency with your values. I want to read to you a quote that I recently read. It says, there are no moral shortcuts in the game of business or life. There are basically three kinds of people, the unsuccessful, the temporarily successful, and those who become and remain successful. The difference is character.
00:06:06
Speaker
That quote came from a book entitled Winners Never Cheat by John Huntsman, Sr. Integrity requires that you take no days off because the world is requiring you to be who you say you are and nothing else.
00:06:21
Speaker
We all want success, but success is a temporal thing and is based off conditions. Integrity is continuous and requires that you do the right thing no matter the circumstance. Consistency requires you to make a choice and honesty requires intentionality. This honesty may gain you instant gratification for the moment
00:06:43
Speaker
but it'll never last. People who don't operate in integrity want things quickly and they follow trends that do not lead to lasting success. If you think about the company Enron that I mentioned at the beginning of this podcast, Enron took several shortcuts that did not lead them to lasting success.
00:07:03
Speaker
You can get the results that you desire without lies and using gimmicks or tricks. If you hang around people that don't have integrity or you do business with people that lack integrity, you're going to start to lack integrity yourself. You must surround yourself and do business with people of integrity.
00:07:23
Speaker
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15 and 33, do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character. If you want to be people of integrity, you have to start hanging with people of integrity. Before I end this podcast, I want to encourage you
00:07:41
Speaker
to use integrity in everything that you do. Show up on time every time, and especially when you give your word. Make sure you stay consistent with your values and your standards. Don't blame others for mess ups or mistakes, but instead, find a solution to the problem. Stay disciplined, and most of all, stick around for the long haul. You never know what will pan out if you continue to press forward.
00:08:10
Speaker
If you research anyone who left a successful and lasting legacy, you will see a common thread and that's integrity. If you want to experience success of any kind and leave a lasting legacy, you must possess the element of integrity.
Conclusion and Engagement
00:08:26
Speaker
I hope you enjoyed today's show. If you did, please be sure to share with a friend, and if you're not already, make sure you subscribe before you leave. Also, if you want to follow me on any social media, I am Aliana Nita everywhere. If you're interested in reading along with me, I have a virtual book club on goodreads.com, so if you go to Goodreads and search Aliana Nita's book club, you can find me there.
00:08:52
Speaker
Also, if you have any questions or you want to make a suggestion, you can email me at alienanitashow at gmail.com. Thank you so much for tuning in. I hope that you come back next week and as always, stay blessed and be relevant.