Tag Archives: integrity

Integrity and Passion

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Passion is the strongest energy source in the universe. Beyond any other motivator is passion for doing a great job. I am currently training for a cycling event, Ride the Rockies, five days 412 miles! Training for a marathon, or mountain climb, or any major event teaches the power of passion.

Training for months every day gets monotonous, goals tend to fade as you one more time put on those sneakers and ride for 4 hours on a beautiful Saturday while your friends sleep in or plan a morning at the farmers market.

Passion is often understood as a high adrenaline short experience, not really. True passion can be enjoyed for months years and more. Passion extends for the entire time it takes to complete what you start.  

Integrity takes self-honesty and staying in line with commitments. Companies invest in new products and offerings all day long, they take risks based on returns to hire staff and return dividends or growth to investors. As shareholders or stakeholders we strive for success over time and to get there we risk responsibly then work hard.

Integrity in the market is rewarded over time, do what you say and say what you do. Risk and stay with you early customers and now you demonstrate passion and integrity. The market likes that! Risk and not stay with it and the market will never forget. Recently a business leader lightly remarked about being at it for 12 years. My comment in return was that is a short time.

Time is what it takes to win, maintaining integrity and passion over time is a winning business equation.

 BTW in physics the formula for Power is Work over Time!

P=W/T

Integrity in Communications

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The phrase is “Crimes of Omission” I am sure many consider this a phrase and not a true legal precedent that in general pertains to liability based on non-performance to contracted duties. Ok now a new word to think about “Contracted”. Contracted in a legal definition requires enforceability; however as marketers we have responsibilities to consumers and as Product managers we have responsibilities to our teams. All have the responsibility to enforce inclusion of all data in any arguement!  

This comes to mind for me lately on two fronts. First is reviewing resumes and the second is in business plan presentations. In both cases it is clear that presentation is about the best ideas and proving a hypostasis that a candidate or plan is the best way to proceed. 

WRONG!

Inclusion of ideas that distract from the presented path strengthens the value of the argument. Linear arguments that ignore, minimize or deny Risk are deeply flawed and should be rejected. Arguments that deal directly with all the facts display honest demonstrate confidence and the ability to deal with the realistic Vagaries of the natural world. 

We have discussed before the dishonesty of the “Straw Man” statements that have become very common in today’s media and are creeping into the workplace. Call foul on this everywhere please! The other day I was working through a business case and ecosystem mapping for a new company, the entire document was dismissive of others ideas, approaches, potential and efforts. I hope the author is still with us after my response as it is a fair plan with a better than average chance for success. However I took apart each assumption with simple open minded HONEST research and questions.

A SWOT that is not honest has no value, so when selling yourself or your ideas, be honest, it shows confidence and leads one to believe that you will respond with a consideration of reality and facts vs. ideology.  Honesty is not self depravation so don’t create a negative view of your business case. Things are not black and white, If-Then statements in a dynamic system fail more often than succeed. Long term systems in the real world have no Imperatives moral or constructive!  

 A straw man argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent’s position