8 Simple Ways to Demonstrate Honesty

and Integrity in Your Business

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At Platinum Electricians, our core values are not intended to be feel-good catch phrases. They describe
the collective behaviours of our company and what’s important to us. They’re a lot more than just
words on a page.
Our core values represent who we are – not who we want to be.
We believe a business’s core values should embody the day-to-day reality of how you do business.
And this all starts with our second core value: Uphold honesty and integrity above all else.
THE IMPORTANCE OF HONESTY
In business, there’s no one-size-fits-all model. Each company is different. Corporate and office
dynamics change every year. Employees behaviours change. Customer behaviour changes. And the
only way to address all of this is to always remain honest about what’s going on in your business.
Most people don’t require bells and whistles – they have a specific need they want resolved and as long
as it gets resolved, the rest is irrelevant.
We’re reminded of the famous line spoken by the Wizard of Oz in the 1939 classic film, right before
the secret of his humanness was unveiled:
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”
The Wizard of Oz warned us to look beyond the flashiness and fancy lighting, and reminded us that
working together in a more honest way will get you much further.
The idea that brand perfection is necessary is a misconception. Ask any couple that’s been married for
30 years and they’ll tell you that being honest doesn’t mean being perfect. For brands, it simply means
truthfully communicating the challenges being faced, and then putting in the legwork to address those
challenges. When presented with honesty, consumers become loyal enthusiasts. Brands that have a
heart and stand by their values and intentions form relationships with their customers based on truth.
No amount of showiness can replicate this.
Honest brands pull back the curtain. They don’t profess to be wizards. They are brave and respectful of
their customers.
THE IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRITY
When you study great leaders you see one consistent character trait in each of them – integrity. Great
leaders model integrity by standing by what they say they’ll do and doing what’s right no matter the
circumstances. Having integrity means putting personal agendas aside to focus on the greater good of
your company and the people it serves.
Want to make your workplace more energy efficient?
In today’s global digital marketplace, the name of the game is brand integrity. When marketing
promotions aren’t syncing with operational realities the damage to a company’s reputation can be
instant. The consumer is king and whether intentional or otherwise, a brush with dishonesty can reap
damage that’s hard to recover from.
HOW TO INCORPORATE HONESTY AND INTEGRITY INTO YOUR
BUSINESS
1. Keep your word
If you want to establish a solid reputation you must deliver on your promises. Without excuses and
without a change of conditions, let your yes be a yes and where your convictions demand it, let your no
be a no.
2. Keep your commitments
If you say you’re going to be somewhere at 11am, be there at 11am. If you think you’re going to be late
or suspect your prior appointment might run over, be sure to notify. Being on time and where you say
you’re going to be says a lot about the character of a business. Letting people down by failing to show
up or by having little regard for another’s time is a surefire way to damage your reputation.
3. Pay attention to your environment
Your environment leaves clues about your identity and you can’t afford to be messy, unkempt and
unprepared. Organisation and cleanliness speaks volumes about integrity, not just towards other people,
but to yourselves as a company. The entire world is a spectator and it pays to put your best foot forward
at all times.
4. Stay focused
It’s easy to get tempted by distractions and other opportunities screaming for attention, but it’s
important to stay focused on what’s honest and true. If you’re on a job, you stay focused on that job
until you see the result you want. Putting your all into something draws admirers.
5. Surround yourself with honest people
Surrounding yourself with people offering solid character and a positive attitude is crucial for your
company’s integrity as a whole. The people you employ should not only be highly respected in their
field, but offer great influence to the others around them. Surrounding yourself with honest people
allows integrity to permeate the air.
7. Take responsibility
Everyone makes mistakes and this is true in both personal and professional life. Showing integrity
means admitting to these mistakes and not being afraid to say, “I’m sorry, I got that wrong”. Words can
be powerful, but only if you back them up with actions, so to be integrous, you must work to prove
your remorse.
8. Respect your employees
Whether it’s the office temp or a long-standing employee, your staff deserve your respect. At
the Disney Institute, they know that respecting their employees helps encourage them to respect their
customers. “We believe the extent to which an organisation cares for its people is the extent to which
the employees will care for customers,” says Senior Programming Director Bruce Jones. So when staff
are shown respect, ultimately that helps them WOW their customers too.
HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
We’ve all been taught to be honest since we were children – and here at Platinum, we think there’s no
reason why that shouldn’t carry into our professional lives too. Not only is honesty simply the best
policy as a matter of principle, it also makes good business sense. When you’re honest, your customers
will respect you for it – and they’ll keep coming back.
We believe our dedication to being honest and integral is one of the key reasons electricians all over
Australia are joining us to grow their business. If you, or someone you know may be interested, click
here to find out more.
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