Why do Some Businesses Practice Integrity Only When Customers Are Watching?

According to my research, every day managers or CEOs of all types of organization have their integrity tested in the job place. "Some businesspeople practice integrity when compelled or when customers are watching. Others practice integrity when they believe no one is watching."1 There are all kinds of temptations that can lead businesspeople to cheating; taking advantages of their customers, or performing scrupulous actions beyond their mind. Usually CEO, managers, and employees do things to please others and then their integrity line is put in danger in the job place. Marr (2007) reported that employers need to hold employees to the same high standards of integrity they establish for themselves and follow through to ensure that everybody on the team understands and acts on the integrity they establish.

Definition of Integrity
According to Killinger, "Integrity is defined as the personal choice, an uncompromising and predictably consistent commitment to honor moral, ethical, spiritual, and artistic values and principles."2 Integrity is the foundation of all successful businesses in the world. People of integrity do the correct things because they adhere to their moral standards, which it doesn't allow them to do things at their convenience in their immoral ways. They follow the book or guideline because they don't have any other options than to do the right things. Of course, those actions will build the company's reputation and may attract more customers for their services.

Losing integrity in the workplace
Have you ever wondered why do some businesses lose integrity in their workplace? According to my research, people of integrity are very vulnerable to fall into greed, and temptations due to several factors in their workplaces. "Many talk integrity, but few deliver. The harder you squeeze it, the more likely it is slip away."3 This quote is relevant for all professional workers in all types of field. Sometimes we say something, but in the end we end up doing the opposite things. Temptation to get rich as fast as possible is the main factor why it causes business leaders to fall into the trap of failure to practice integrity. The Bible says on first Timothy 6:9-10, that "people who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."4

To be able to resist and overcome temptation, business leaders need to follow their mission statement and understand that it takes a huge devotion to pursue integrity at the first place. It's easy to commit fraud at any time in the job place. They must follow their guidelines and regulations from top to bottom and have the attitude of honesty toward their customers. "Marr (2004) recognized in his article "Clues to Corruption ," a significant statement that said that companies' leaders think that it is OK to get away with little dishonesty when they lie to their customers, and that there is no need to treat the clients fairly and honestly."5 No wonder so many businesses shut down after a certain amount of years, and no wonder that some companies' CEO end up in jail for their wrongdoing. It is not OK to get away with it because chances are that the companies will end up losing everything they have built up in its lifetime. The truth will always come up no matter how safe one played with the little lies in the job place. When one is tempted to cheat to the customers, one better run and do the right things before one slips away with one little fraud. In the meantime, one has to be strong when life throws to the upside down of the curve and one has to learn to yield temptation out of the way. One will learn to decipher his own weaknesses and strengths through the trials and temptations, but his moral character will more likely be developed out of it.

In addition, "greed is defined as an all-consuming and usually reprehensible acquisitive desire for wealth or gain. Its source is envy and a jealous desire to have what is admired. One is able to act as a con artist with its only purpose of shoplifting out thousands of dollars from an unsuspecting public. One will go after shameful schemes to earn his unethical wealth which it leads to destruction." 6 Greed is a major disease that causes problems to most managers and businesspeople nowadays. The marketplace tells them they can achieve all their goals and desires if they truly work hard for it in the innocent way or fraudulent way. Killinger brought up an interesting point that greed does not necessarily have to come from money or power only. In the marketplace, one can become greedy when one feels that he or she is entitled for more than what he or she is supposed to earn in his paycheck. No wonder so many professionals gamble all their possessions for something they think is better. They love their wealth more than their customers. Greedy people are inspired by the opposite desire of moral principles. They will do anything that it takes to see the obstacles down the hill. Managers, CEO and business leaders need to be careful how they view money, work or positions at the job place. One erroneous motive will ultimately slip away the true meaning of integrity in the company's environment.

Wrong leadership skills
Integrity is always built from scratch and like any other leadership skills; it takes a lot of hard work to see that build up in the business leader's trait, since it does not happen overnight. That's the reason why businesspeople need to pay attention and stay focused in everything they do. Because once slip away from one small detail in their actions, it can actually make them think that it will be all right to do it again. According to Hindery, "Leadership is a sacred trust and a privilege at the same time. When you abuse customer's trusts or employees' trusts, there should be consequences that follow. The problem won't be solved automatically. Getting to the right place again as a company or business leader or CEO, it takes smarts, courage, vision, sacrifice, persistence, grace, and timing. Changing entrenched bad habits, whether it's intellectual, philosophical, or moral, it takes a lot of work." 7 This author gives a strong point of view of what leadership stands for and what one should do to avoid the erroneous leadership skills in the company's settling.

When leadership's positions are taken lightly, their ethics suffer along as well. That's the reasons many managers have ended up in jail and have being punished until death. CEO needs to be responsible for their choices, because their employees are looking toward them. If the manager fails in doing the right thing, then the employees will be affected as well. Managers of all kind of organization need to find ways to break their downward spiral to perversion and they need to operate effectively regardless of the levels there's in. Bad leadership cause the whole team to fall short in the job description. By doing the right thing at the right time is the only way we can prevent bad leadership of continuing to spread around in the company. Managers need to pursue righteousness and be a good role to their employees. Building a strong report and have a checklist of self examination might help the managers and leaders to figure out where they need to improve and help them figure out what are their weaknesses as well.

On the other hand, Willingham explained in her book "Integrity Service," that leaders need to use their skills to solve problems and not to cause problem to the company. Usually guests are the ones who have more right when it comes to arguing and managers need to be aware to use their desires to approach the customer's needs. Leaders need to come up with a solution to the answer, rather than be part of the problem. One cannot wait for others to make a move in the problem and just sit there waiting for others to make a proactive move. From the author's point of view, there are actions and responsibilities that most managers, CEO, and leaders need to follow through, in order to see the business progress. Integrity does play a huge role in the business settling when you use the correct skills with the prospect customers. I strongly agree with the author by the way how she brought up several traits that most leaders must possess and how we all are called to use our leadership skills to make things happen for the sake of the company.

Trust and Relationship
Trust and relationship are the two important keys that make the company function regularly like any personal relationship. But what would happen when a CEO or manager want to build a relationship and trust with their customers? "Effective businesses establish a three-way contract of trust, where customers can have confidence in the company's products and services, employees know what to expect on the job, and management can be confident that the staff will deliver on its promises and commitments. Trust is built upon promises made and kept, and it is preserved by forthright and honest communication. When trust has been established, it becomes the basis on which people are able to work together effectively. By the same token, when trust is squandered or lost, effective working relationships are destroyed." 8 But what would happen if he or she fails to be faithful to their own company's financial transactions? Today most businesses fail to be transparent to their customers when it comes to transactions and applications.

"One needs to learn how to trust people all the time even though there is a betrayal sometimes. Integrity is not something that you either have or don't have. People change every year and nobody is fixed into one rule forever."9 As any human being, people frequently change ideas or thoughts in their lifetime as they get older and learn that life is not based on failure, but success. The way how one lives his life will impact the community and the company itself. We should not let our guard down and let fear consume us. If one does the right things in the job place, there shouldn't be any fear of prosecution on his' head. When we do the right things with the correct motives, our businesses improve and attract more referrals and clients. That's why there is a trick for success in the job market out there. "To stay competitive on our ever-changing business climate, cultural competence and a global mind-set are musts. Time is money, but in order to gain it, one has to place the importance of trust and respect first." 10

Customers will see all types of managers or professional workers out there who will do whatever it takes to convince them to buy their products. "Managers or salespeople will learn to cleverly scheme people, manipulate them, work them, work around them, please them, or whatever it takes to make it all work. People lack a character ability, that's the good reason why they only practice integrity when customers are looking only. One has to learn to swallow his pride, his egos, his resistance, and hear things one does not want to hear." 11 One has to do a checklist of all the threats that may hinder their relationships with their customers. One has to continue to learn to improve himself and let go all of the things that have a negative impact in the company and the salespeople as well. Customers demand quality service, but it all starts with the basic rules of ethics: integrity, trust and relationship.

Corruption of the personality
Killinger explained that "there is not an exact answer why people commit criminal acts in the work place, but she pointed out that we have to press on and continue resisting everyday temptations by becoming more conscious of our character flaws. She pointed out that each time a person lies, cheats, or steals, humiliation and shame will come down to chase one's consciousness."12 From what I understood from the author, she said that there is no explanation why some business managers or CEO act the way they do, which it may be think that managers or business leaders are prone to fall easily like any other human being in the marketplace. One characteristics that Willingham pointed out in his book is that "the common denominator of success, the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful-lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing right things that failures don't like to do." 13 I'm assuming that those right things that failures don't like to do is what lead them to corruption in the character. It's almost similar to the saying "garbage in, then garbage out."

When one business leader fails to comply with the law or regulation of the company, corruption may be hidden in a corner of a desk that will start coming little by little as the leader starts taking position and commitment in the company. The biggest issue of corruption traits in a leader is called dishonesty. According to Killinger, dishonesty arises when one individual starts bending the rules, lying, and deceiving others. First of all, by bending the rules, business leaders can feel to do whatever they decide may be good for them. Leaders will eventually search for the independence in the company by rebelling against the rules assigned at their job. There is nothing good by bending the rules at work. If one does that, then one is giving permission to cheat no one, but several times. If one does want to break the rules of integrity, then one should not bend the rules at all. This is a trait that most business leaders need to learn as they move up the career ladder. Nevertheless, telling white lies are the subjects that grabbed my attention on her book. Either one must speak the truth at once or say a lie in the line. What amaze me the most of the time leaders say a white lie like a joke in the house. But the catch is that once they get used to it, they will eventually start neglecting to tell the truths to their customers or employees in the company. There are not such things as partial answers when it comes to speaking the truth. Either one is saying the truth or one is not. Killinger referred lying as the passive form used mostly by business leaders with the purpose of gaining control of their customers and taking advantages of them at the same time. Nevertheless, deceiving their customers into a trap can cost the integrity of the business leaders and damage their reputation. From I understood from the author, customers are the ones who decide to get the winning award of ethics in the market. If the customers spread out the bad service or lack of integrity from a specific company, chances are that the xyz company will lose business due to the bad reputation and lack of integrity. It's very crucial for business leaders to manage the company's transactions with righteousness. They will see the fruit of their righteousness and not to practice integrity only when the customers are watching behind their backs.

References:

Marr, 2007, para. 1

[1] Marr, 2007, para. 8

[2] (Killinger, 2007, page 12)

[3] (Killinger, 2007, page 62)

[4] Biblegateway.com on 1 Timothy 6: 9-10

[5] Marr, 2004, para. 4

[6] Killinger, 2007, page 123

[7] Hindery, 2005, pg. 11

[8] Hindery, 2005, pg 17

[9] Marr, 2002, para. 1 & 2

[10] Cloud, 2006, page 281

[11] Whitmore, 2005, page 126 & 129

[12] Cloud, 2006, page 272

[13] Killinger, 2007, page 105

[14] Willingham, 2005, page 154