Integrity Glue

Integrity Glue

Hey team! Another Monday Message, and I want to give you a quote that I read recently by the late great Billy Graham. I think most people know who Billy Graham is; if you don’t, oh my goodness, you should definitely read up about this man. He was a preacher and an evangelist, and he did a number of great things around the world. I have a lot of respect for Billy Graham because of his integrity, which is what the quote is about. Let me read to you what Billy said because I want to make sure I get every word correctly. It’s just a short quote, but I don’t have it quite committed to memory yet. I got the concept, though. Billy Graham said “Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact.”

The reason that resonates with me is that one of our core values is transparency, even at a cost. Even if I made a mistake that might cost me my job, a big contract, or something huge. I have the integrity to tell on myself, to open up and tell the client, tell the team member, tell my family, tell whoever. Trying to conceal something doesn’t do well for us.

There are lots of movies, songs, and stories about what happens when somebody tries to hide the truth instead of being transparent. Usually, honesty is a much better policy. Integrity and transparency, why are they important? Because they build trust. If I make a mistake and I tell on myself, you can have faith in knowing that I’m a person of honesty and integrity. Therefore, you might rely on me and give me grace when I stumble. That’s an important quality for all of us to keep intact.

I would much rather have a team member like yourselves or a patrol officer who comes out and says, “I made a mistake. I went to the wrong property, got the address wrong, patrolled the wrong property all night long, did the wrong thing.” We’ve had that happen, where a team member made a mistake but told on themselves, and they still work here because we still love them.

People make mistakes; honest people make mistakes. It’s not something they intended to do. Yes, it hurts. Yes, we made a mistake, and yes, we have to tell the client about it. We have to do those things, but the important thing is that we have the integrity to do the right thing. We build that relationship of trust with the client, with the community member, with the police officer, with fellow team members. Sometimes this also works well in families. Do you have the integrity and transparency to tell your wife, your husband, and your children that you made a mistake?

Can you sit down with your son, like Karen and I have done, and say, “I made a mistake. I’m sorry, Jonathan, David.” We do it more with Jonathan right now; David doesn’t quite understand yet, but we still do it. “I made a mistake. I’m sorry. I got upset with you. I wasn’t having a great day. Daddy was wrong. Mommy was wrong. We’re sorry. Will you forgive us?” I would much rather have my son understand that I made a mistake so that I’m modeling for him the same honesty and transparency. When he comes to me, he can rest assured that I’m going to forgive him and be good to him. It’s a much better policy.

So, I agree with Billy Graham that integrity is the glue we need in this society. Instead of self-preservation, I would much rather have transparency, even at a cost, than lose my career, job, or everything to retain that level of integrity, honesty, and dependability in my soul. I would not want one mistake to define me as a person. I don’t want to try to remember which lie to keep, how to progress that lie to the next lie, and then remember those four lies to come up with another lie. That just seems tiresome to me. It’s much easier to be honest and move on, even if it costs.

Alright, the Monday Message is done. So, you’ve got to get out there and be valuable because nothing less will do. Remember, our transparency matters, even at a cost. Our transparency matters because it is the integrity of not only our company but you individually that matters more than anything else. You remain constant, reliable, and dependable. We know and our community knows that they can trust that you’re going to do the right thing. And if you make a mistake, you’re going to tell on yourself. Alright, be valuable. Nothing less will do. God bless you guys. It’s wonderful to spend these minutes with you, and I will see you next week.