Why Your Integrity is Your Most Valuable Currency

My dad taught me my word was “bond.” When you’re a great salesman and you’ve got a lot of charisma, you’re very close to “Bulls***-McGee.” And in my 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 year old version of me, I was “Bulls***-McGee.” And my dad taught me that along the way and chipped away at it and had zero tolerance for lying, embellishing, bulls**?$*!. It has saved me, because I’ve got it in me. It’s why ten-percent of this audience that doesn’t know me is going to react and think I’m a “car-salesman” and full of crap in the first thirty minutes of my talk.  But over the rest of my career I will prove out who I am to them, and that has a lot to do with the best advice I was given, which was the word is bond.

Legacy is greater than currency. What has completely been the backbone of my success is that I’m obsessed with everybody that I ever do business with ends up coming to my funeral. And when you are that way, you end up being on the right side of history, you end up giving fifty-one percent to the other person, which in essence gives you leverage to do business and always be able to call in a favour. And one other caveat; have no expectation of others along with that POV [Point of View]. Which is difficult, when you’re giving and then you may need something and then somebody doesn’t come through, that could cripple a lot of people. I’ve seen a lot of people take my advice; give, then need, not be delivered on, then say, “this is bull-crap.” To me, that’s part of the equation of what I’m asking you to do. Be the bigger woman, be the bigger man, in every situation. It is definitely the foundation of my business success.