Associate Only With People of Integrity
Those without integrity will undermine your best efforts, diminish your effectiveness, and poison your company. To be that person of integrity, speak honestly, directly, and respectfully to everyone in your life and in your business— family, friends, suppliers, employees, colleagues, shareholders, and customers.
I learned the value of this lesson when I worked as a teenager at Dorwins, a clothing store in Miami Beach. The owner, Irving Settler, was the most exacting boss I ever encountered. He taught me a great deal about retail, but the time he fired and rehired our tailor Ralph is something I still think about. Ralph was trying to take advantage of Irving during his busiest season, and even though Irving was angry, he rehired him when given the opportunity. Irving was tough, but he was also fair. His approach to Ralph showed respect for his store, for his vendors, and for his employees.
A second example is the day I lied to Bob Luehrs during an interview for H.I.S. Sportswear about how old I was, because I was afraid he would not hire me if he knew the truth. I confessed that same day that I was only twenty, but that brief moment taught me the importance of telling the truth. Years later, Bob told me that he had already decided to hire me, but my confession made him even more enthusiastic. What could have been a disaster turned out to be the bedrock of a great friendship built on trust.
Maybe Mark Twain said it best: “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
