In
study after study, the element of trust has been identified as the most
important distinguishing factor between one salesperson and another, and one
company and another.
As
Stephen Covey says, “If you want to be trusted, be
trustworthy.” Honesty
means that you always keep your word, and you always tell the truth.
Be True to Yourself
There is another element to integrity that is equally important. As Shakespeare
said, “To thine own self be true, and then it must follow,
as the night the day,
thou canst not then be false to any man.”
You must be true to yourself, to the very best that you know. You must live in
truth with yourself and refuse to engage in self-delusion. You must be perfectly
honest and not wish that things could or would be other than they are.
Develop
the ability to face the world and see life as it is, not as you wish it would be or
could be.
Most people are pretty honest. They don’t lie, cheat, or steal. They do their
work,
pay their taxes, and deal straightforwardly with others. But even the most
honest people sometimes wish and hope and want to believe things that are not
true.
Practice the Reality Principle
Jack Welch,
president of General Electric, said that the most important
principle in leadership is the “reality principle” and that this principle is based on
the need to seek the truth, wherever it might lead. “Deal
with the world as it is,”
he said, “not as you wish it would be.”
Whenever he had to deal with a problem or difficulty at General Electric, his
first question would be, “What’s the reality?”
In your life, it is absolutely essential
that you be true to yourself, and that you
live in truth with yourself. It is vital that you be true to the best that is in you.
You must do the things
every day that lead to the goals you have set for yourself.
Face the reality of your life, whatever it is. This is
the mark of the truly honest
