Integrity and Character – Who are you when no one’s watching?

May 6, 2008 at 8:00 am | by Kathy Zappa, Blog Navigator

“Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.”
-J.C. Watts

Always doing the right thing is hard; whether we are on the road, at the office or just going about our day. I can tell you, though, that doing the right thing is much easier than not doing the right thing. I’ve been learning that lesson the hard way recently. You see, I speed. I’m a habitual speeder and I’ve been pulled over plenty of times for it and talked my way out of more than my fair share of tickets. I’m not proud of my speeding, but I managed to justify it to myself until recently. Now my oldest son just turned 16 and started driving—and speeding! He learned it by watching me and now when I’m at home worried about his safety I can trace that back to my own integrity lapse.

I had no idea when I was speeding along that it would have that kind of consequence, but that’s what I mean about doing the right thing being easier. Doing the right thing means you don’t have to keep up with your lies, doing the right thing means you don’t have to worry about getting caught or other negative consequences and most importantly, doing the right thing actually feels good. Although it might not seem like it at any given moment, living with integrity is the easiest, most enjoyable way to live.

As a young professional, living with integrity means leading your life now in ways that make you a leader before you are one—and being aware that you’re an example to others, just as I am to my son. Integrity starts with the little things we do each day because as Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

“In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”
-Warren Buffet
CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

Warren is a great success and it’s obvious by the above quote, he has surrounded himself with people of integrity. I’ve heard often, “You are who you associate with.” In my experience, this couldn’t be more true. Are you associating with people at work who are where you want to be and doing the work you want to be doing? I’m lucky. Here at Ingenuity, everyone I associate with makes me take my game to another level. I respect and learn from everyone here and it is the first job in my long career where I felt everybody has my back. Seek out the people at your firm who make you play your “A” game. Warren had it right – those three character traits are powerful. Associate with people who have them, live those traits yourself and the rest will take care of itself.

What are you doing to ensure your integrity is in tact and your character not compromised? Who do you want to be?

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Say Thank You

April 29, 2008 at 8:00 am | by Christine Nelson, Blog Researcher

I came across an old issue of Real Simple Magazine (www.realsimple.com) that had a short article on writing a great thank you note. I love getting thank you notes, especially by snail mail. It’s a wonderful tool in your business development and networking kit because it’s so easy to do, but makes a big impact. Unfortunately for the world of etiquette, it makes a big impact because not many people do it anymore. It can also be done poorly, which is worse than not sending a thank you.

I would rather not get a thank you that said, “Thank you for the gift and for coming to our wedding.” Boring. The couple should have saved the postage. Words misspelled or scribbled out? Tacky.

While buying a thank you card and signing your name gets the point across, I prefer writing the note myself. It’s more personal. Here are some of my tips adapted from Real Simple:

• Convey appreciation for the person. “I really enjoyed meeting you at the [event].” Or perhaps, “I’m so glad we had time to catch up at lunch. You looked great!”

• Include a personal detail. “I loved the pecan pie at that café you chose.” Or perhaps, “Your suggestion to call [referral] really paid off! We’re meeting next week.”

• Acknowledge the effort made. “I really appreciate your ability to meet on such short notice.” Or perhaps, “I was impressed that you remembered how much I like baseball.”

• Be specific about how the person helped you. “Thanks for the inside tips on meeting at the convention center. I booked a great space on the date I wanted.” Or perhaps, “Thank you for the baseball tickets. I’m using them with my nephew, whom I don’t get to see very often.”

• Don’t repeat yourself. It looks like you’re filling space.

• Use nice stationery. It’s fun for the recipient, shows your sense of style and it may be kept and displayed for added professional impact!

What are your tips for great thank you notes?

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