These practices were not unlawful. Still, the fact that we were remunerated by commission allowed more experienced sales executives to make more money than they might have.

The tension between integrity and security

At first, these seemed minor “adjustments” to the sales processes we were required to follow. The effect seemed negligible and not worth worrying about. However, as the team began to fry bigger fish, the impact became more pronounced, and our integrity came under strain.

One thing stopped me and others from leaving. We had an income, and as most of us were living hand to mouth, we didn’t want to risk our income disappearing. As time passed, the tension between integrity and security grew. The situation came to a head when the directors stepped in and wound up the team. Not good.

Like all these experiences, it was not fun at the time, but it taught me that integrity is an integral part of resilience. I would have had no qualms about leaving earlier if I had resilience and cash to tide me over the gap before I found another income.

Integrity is central to resilience.

Integrity is an essential element of our resilience. Without integrity, we are vulnerable to forces beyond our control. As my story shows, money is a necessary part of integrity – but not the only part.

Here are six tips to help you strengthen your integrity and develop your resilience.

1. Establish trust with others, or you won’t be invited to join the trams that make one plus one equal three and develop your resilience.
2. Recognise and tell the reality of situations, even if it does not benefit you. Be as exact with the inferences of facts as with the facts themselves.
3. Finish what you start; don’t leave others in the lurch by walking away before you finish the job.
4. Be open about your mistakes and use them as a source of learning and growth.
5. Take active steps to grow and develop personally and professionally.
6. Don’t act like a god and expect others to bow down to you; recognise and accept that some things are more significant than you.

Take action around these points to build your integrity and resilience. You can see, from the other person’s point of view, how important these are, especially if you are looking at a new purpose in your life and want to make a difference amongst other people.

ABOUT

I work with ambitious, family-oriented professionals transitioning to independent consultants to create a 3 to 5-year holistic plan so that they grow wealthy, make a difference and find meaning.

My clients are aged 35-50. They are in a long-term relationship with family and parents who are supportive but ageing. They wrestle with personal and financial responsibilities and dream of more control, wealth, time and purpose.

If this excites you, you are coachable, willing to change, and want to stop going around in circles, then find out more at jeremydeedes.com

Then, take your next step and explore your way forward with a Mapmaker, a one-off online coaching gig to help you decide your options, assess our compatibility, and determine whether we are the right fit. Mapmaker is excellent value, held in confidence and without further commitment.

Photo attribution

Photo by Limor Zellermayer on Unsplash

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Your views are important, and your fellow readers would love to hear your opinion, so share your thoughts in the comments box below, and thank you for your time and generosity.