Integrity: The Ultimate Criterion for Excellence in Business

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters.
Alan K. Simpson, former U.S. Senator

I have learned over the past several years as a technopreneur, working as offshore outsourcing service provider that integrity and only integrity help you achieving business excellence. If you ask me what is the most important in regard to the success of a business, I would tell you, in my experience as an entrepreneur - it is the "consistency of integrity". Without integrity, any business can not last longer, can not make everyone feel its presence. If firms can maintain its consistency in integrity, and make the integrity as its culture, it will surely will succeed and will be easier to prove its excellence.

What does it take to be a winner in the marketplace? There are many firms doing the similar things, providing similar services. If you search "Web Development Companies" in google, you will get millions of results. All of them competing for the same pie. Making company look different is not difficult.

Almost all software firms take all possible measures, offer discounted rate, promise the best quality, commitment to deliver the product or service on time, display number of portfolios, all really expecting becoming the winner. But only few actually win the game. If these companies look for an edge in everything, they will start sacrificing their integrity in the process.

Jack Welch, legendary CEO of GE gave definition of Integrity on his own way in his book "Winning" - "Integrity is something of fuzzy word". He defines - "People with integrity tell the truth, and they keep their word. They take responsibility for past actions, admit mistakes, and fix them. They know the laws of their country, industry, and company - both in letter and spirit - and abide by them. They play to win the right way, by the rules."

In case of business, true integrity will give any business to excel and uplift its branding continually, helps to cast the credibility that no other promotional activities, marketing strategies or big billboards can give.

Donald Trump - The real estate tycoon, the host of the most talked about show for entrepreneurs "The Apprentice", says "Integrity is the blueprint for success. It's not just business acumen, but integrity, that carries you forward in the business world. It's as simple as keeping your word, or, in some cases, remembering what your words were. It seems that "simple" isn't always easy for some people."

As I mentioned before, I am from software business and provide offshore software development service. We hardly see our clients by face or meet in person. Most of the businesses are done through email, Instant Messaging and Internet all in all. We work in different time zones. In such virtual space, you can imagine the degree of INTEGRITY you need to keep your client all the way along with you.

Despite the different in time zone, difference in language and culture, difference in perception on some beliefs, difference in many other things, only our actions and words will eventually point us towards having a reputation for having integrity or not having integrity and achieve the business excellence.