The Value of Operating Values ^©

Adapted from his book, "Intentional Personal Integrity"

Establish clear operating values for your organization to which all stakeholders will be held accountable. This is the critical first step if you are serious about implementing a Total Integrity Management System into the warp and weave of your organization’s operating culture.

Have you thought through the core values that will contribute to building employee and customer trust and more profitable staff and manager conduct in your organization? When leaders begin the process of initiating a Total Integrity Management process into their organization’s operating culture, top decision makers must “be real” about including honesty as one of their organization’s core operating values -- telling the truth and taking only what is rightfully theirs.

Unless honesty is a primary, seriously held, and respected operating value held by the leaders of an organization, any attempt to strengthen the operational integrity of the organization’s culture, management team, employee relations, and key functions ends up being a fallacious exercise and a waste of money and time. Don’t even think about initiating a Total Integrity Management process if the operating value of honesty is not in the cards. Also, make sure there is a serious commitment to establish an organization-wide mutual accountability process to encourage and ensure honest talk and actions.

What motivates integrity? I hope moral will is the main motivator. However, FEDERAL SENTENCING GUIDELINES ARE FOR REAL! Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, do you know the continuing high risks for leaders and their organizations involved in low integrity acts? Significant personal and company fines and personal jail terms! Here is a list of “areas of vulnerability” that a solid integrity management process will address:

1. Documentation and records

2. Conflicts of interest

3. Insider information

4. Receiving gifts, gratuities, entertainment

5. Giving gifts, fees, contributions, honoraria

6. Handling requests for bribes and kickbacks

7. Expense reporting

8. Use of proprietary or confidential information

9. Computer security/crime, unlawful access

10. Price fixing, bid rigging

11. Unfair competition

12. Environmental controls

13. Workplace safety

14. Product safety

15. Consumer protection

16. Political contributions

17. Securities and investments

18. Fraud, defrauding the government

19. Conspiracy

20. Racketeering and repeatedly engaging in illegal acts

21. Fair employment practices

22. Non-cooperation in an investigation

My recommendation is to take the implementation of a Total Integrity Management process seriously and establish proactive strategies that deter wrong-doing. Avoid the costs of remediation!

Personal and organizational integrity will come under fire. Frank, a CPA, was asked by the president of a client company to leave information out of a financial report. He said he couldn’t, and the client threatened to fire him if he didn’t. Frank turned in the accurate report. Later on, this major client retained someone else, resulting in a 30% business decline for Frank. He followed the ethical standards set by his profession, the dictates of his conscience and the core operating values he had established for his life and professional work.

True blue but now what to do? Diligently decide who you will take on as a client or customer! Survey their "intentional integrity" quotients first. Over the long-term it is more important than their intelligence quotients and by doing it you will automatically raise yours.