3 Things To Remember About Integrity and The Culture Of Your Organization.

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Integrity is a foundational principle of all successful organizations.

In business, it creates a level playing field, and in society, it promotes social solidarity.

The importance of integrity for an organization cannot be underestimated. It is a foundational principle that allows businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors and gain trust from their customers. Without integrity, organizations might end up with an uneven playing field and without the trust of their customers.

Integrity is a commonly used word in everyday conversations, but what does it actually mean? Ben Utecht NFL Superbowl Champion with the Indianapolis colts helped define integrity on this weeks podcast as "doing the right thing when nobody is watching." He says if you build better people, you will build a stronger, more productive team.

1) Remember You Represent A Company

The whole point in integrity is “To behave in a way that is above reproach.”  That isn’t just when you’re at the job site. It’s when you’re off duty as well.

Organizations need to define how they want their employees to represent their company. And Business owners and CEO’s this starts with you. Start by asking... “What does it mean to be a part of this company?” Take the time to think and write it out. What do you want your company to be known for? Defining that can help you build a winning team for your organization.

2) Invest Time in People - Not Just Profits

Now that we have an understanding that there is a “personality” to every organization, a “corporate personality,” if you will, we need to look at how to continue having integrity seep into every aspect of the organization. The bottom line is you need to invest in your people and not just the profits.

In this day and age, people are more valuable than ever. It is important to invest in the people of the organization instead of just focusing on profits. Investing in employees will not only make them feel valued, but it will improve productivity and decrease the turnover rate. This is what companies should focus on if they want a sustainable business model that will be successful long-term.

Toyota is a world leader in the automotive industry, and its success has been achieved due to a way of thinking called "The Toyota Way." They have this replicated across all their locations. What is “The Toyota Way?” 

“The Toyota Way” simply put, “is to hold precious that what makes us human.” That statement of integrity is built into their company. To that end, Toyota ensures they have programs created for their people around this idea. 

3) Building Better People - Do Better Business

Practice is the key to success in sports and there is no denying it. It’s not just about playing but also about practicing. For example, a typical NFL team will spend 90% of their time on practice and only strive for 10% of their performance during games. That’s a lot of time practicing for just one game on Sunday. But hopefully, it pays off.

In corporate America, it’s the opposite. We spend 10% of the time practicing and performing 90% of the time. It’s all about hitting the numbers and the KPIs. And business owners and company leaders just think… “We’ll worry about that ‘development stuff’ later.” But if you spend more time investing in people and a culture of integrity, you will see results that will make up for that lost time in revenue growth. And besides, nothing can be as costly for a company as a high turnover rate. So, you want to significantly lower your turnover rate? Invest in people and not just the profits.

Integrity really will help you grow as an individual and a business. It’s something you should continue to invest in. Because when you do, people will see that you value them. And when customers and employees feel valued, it changes the way they talk about your company, products, and service for the better.

And that is story-branding. It isn’t what you say about your organization, it’s what other people tell other people about your organization.

(Listen To Our Podcast On This Topic Here)