Business Integrity - Jo Haigh

Human beings are all too keen, in many cases, to compromise their integrity to achieve desired goals. Provided this is a personal choice, and the individual can live with it, well so be it.

But in business your integrity is absolutely attached to your reputation, it’s a seamless relationship.

As most people would surmise it takes years to build a reputation and only one flaw to ruin it, often irrevocably.

Sadly that flaw may have been completely unavoidable in which case the resulting impact on a persons reputation is nothing short of tragic. But if your breach is intentional you get, in my opinion, what you deserve and nothing less.

Integrity is possibly a personal belief and I don't presume to comment on an individual’s interpretation, but I would deem to state that there must be some common threads that anyone should recognise as, at the very least, best practice. In business, for me, these include some very simple principles.

Mean what you say, say what you mean but also do so kindly and firmly.

Don't renege on your promises unless there is absolutely no other route.

Don't over promise and under deliver.

Behave with respect to others. Don't demean them, however much you may want to.

Don't use and abuse peoples skills without proper reward.

I honestly believe what goes around comes around, karma if you like. My mother would say ‘you reap what you sow’.

Finally I would like to say that those who pay lip service to these principles are even more despicable than those who openly disregard any of it.

Jo Haigh
Head of Corporate Finance for MGR

Tel: 0844 826 2851 / 0207 644 9674
Mobile: 07850 475878
Website: www.mgr.co.uk
Email: jo.haigh@mgr.co.uk