Integrity is About Conforming Your Reality Around Your Words
People often talk about integrity in real estate. They mean things like “sticking to your price” or “not bending the rules.” But integrity isn’t about following the status quo—it’s about doing what’s right, even when no one is looking.
Stephen Covey, the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, said, “Honesty is telling the truth–in other words, conforming our words to reality. Integrity is conforming reality to our words–in other words, keeping promises and fulfilling expectations.”
Three Umpires
A perfect example of this comes from an article I read years ago about three umpires in baseball. One umpire had just gotten out of umpire training school, the second had been an umpire for ten years, and the third had been an umpire for over 20 years. A reporter asked all three of them, “How do you know when to call it a ball or a strike?”
The first umpire said, “I call it how I see it.” The second umpire confidently said, “I call it how it is.” The third umpire was quiet for a moment, then said, “It isn’t anything until I call it.” That is the true power of the umpire in baseball. And so, when Stephen Covey talks about integrity, and when you have a high level of integrity, you have power over the Universe, your words, and how your life looks. When you have a high level of integrity, you create your reality.
The former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch, said in a great quote about integrity, “Our personal integrity is tested all the time. An honest person believes he demonstrates it by never stealing or otherwise engaging in unethical conduct. He’s generally on solid ground when the stakes are high. But it’s in the small things that provide the real test to one’s integrity.”
TIP: Check out our related article: “Standing Tall as an Agent of Integrity”
Poison in the Punch
When I first started in real estate, my mentor was a man named Mac Levitt. He used to explain the truth about integrity and being true to your word like this: Imagine you had a big bowl of punch. It’s huge! Now, imagine taking a little shot glass of poison, and you pour it into the punch on one side of the bowl. Would you drink from the other side? Of course not! But that is what integrity is — when you don’t do what you say you will do or don’t show up on time, or are less than honest, that’s all poison in the punch. That all affects your integrity.
So, spend this week focusing on your words and making sure that your words are creating the reality of integrity. When you watch your words and make sure that you are doing exactly what you say you will, the Universe will reward you for it.
TIP: This related article dives into why clients will hire you, because they can trust you, rather than your level of production – “Knowing Where Your Value Comes From”
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Power Agents®, for some other great tips and strategies for negotiating between buyers and sellers (no matter how stubborn), check out the awesome content in the Time and Money Management tab in the Classroom.
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