How being my word, helped me increase 40% productivity?
Defining Integrity
Integrity is a positive proposition and is a way of leading life. It has nothing to do with good or bad, right and wrong. Integrity as defined by the dictionary is the state of being honest and undivided. It means, when a person is in integrity, he is whole and complete. The only way to be honest, whole, complete, and undivided is by being in integrity, i.e. being our word!
Before talking about my productivity enhancement, let’s first see how integrity works
The way humans refer to each other largely depends on how he talks, what he speaks, and how he keeps up his word. So, the words that we use have a significant impact on others, hence to be whole and complete, we got to walk our talk. We know, at all times, it is not possible to live to our words and when we realize that we are not going to live up to our word, the first action must be informing the concerned personnel about the situation and understanding its impact. This calls out for the need for ownership and cleaning the mess caused by breaking the word.
All this reading will only make sense when you start realizing the world that you create with the word that you give out. On contemplating my work schedule, I started realizing the need to enhance my productivity. This required me to recognize the gaps in my schedule and how extending the deadline was doing no good. This made me realize the absence of integrity and I needed to practice being in integrity.
Understanding the Process of Integrity with an Analogy
Start realizing that all the objects and systems around have workability as they are in integrity with each other. Suppose you want to work on your computer and there is the power supply, the system will never work.
In another case, when you have an adequate power supply and the CPU takes some time to “on”, it automatically impacts the “monitor” and the functionality of “keyword and mouse” as well!
The same is the case with humans, but we never realize the impact as it is not evidently visible or we are not mindful about it.
Although you may not see the immediate effects of being out of integrity, you got to sit and reflect on those actions where a word was broken, you will be surprised to note that your relationships and work is weakened and there is a breach of trust and most importantly, the time consumed or wasted.
The Key to first get started is that you are not a person of words
Well, it might be hard to digest that, but we are all somewhere breaking our words.
So, whenever I am in a situation, where I felt uneasy and uncomfortable, I started contemplating what made me feel irritated/upset/furious/powerless. And every time I reflect on such moods and feelings, I dawned a realization that these feelings are because my word was broken and thus caused uneasiness at a certain level in my body and mind.
This is not just true to me but to the entire mankind.
On reflecting, you should be able to see the impact on the other party and the importance of integrity in your own life.
How does Integrity Influence Performance?
When you are your word, your performance is maximized and productivity is higher than you can ever imagine. Just like the law of gravity, where you can suffer from physical damages from greater heights, similarly under the law of integrity, the opportunities are lost at a faster speed than you can adjust to.
The thing about the to-do list, which nobody talks about!
As a matter of practice, the first thing that I started doing was taking my to-do list seriously! We all know about the to-do list, to-don’t list but the key is honoring that list. Almost all of us, have a to-do list but how dedicated we are to tick off the work is what matters!
What is the point of making a list, but never checking it throughout the day?
Many times, I create a to-do list, but never check it, never be bothered about it — and that’s where it doesn’t work! However, after understanding about integrity, it helped me improve my tick-offs, increased the number of routine and new calls, and also, my writing skills.
I started valuing my word more than anything else and stopped making a promise, which I knew didn’t sync with my schedule — both in my professional and personal life. This small ritual increased the productivity in my schedule as I started making up time for more work and thus the opportunity to perform and earn also increased.
Linking Performance with Integrity
Whether you look at it or not, integrity is not a virtue, but a direct link to performance. Breaking one’s word has its own repercussions and impacts the workability in the production area. Many people say “talk is cheap, show me actions” — it is because they are always encountered out-of-integrity persons or are themselves breaking the word.
So, is talk really cheap? Nope!
It starts with a person, who breaks the word and becomes a chain as it impacts everyone who is connected with it.
Realizing the significance of this impact in my work life, I started dwelling on my word, what I say, to whom I say, and when I say. All of this put together, mattered a lot. It helped me be in sync with all the clients, their deadlines and helped me realize the time gaps where I have an opportunity to scale or invest time in self-training or personal branding.
What anyone fears in life are to be with an unpredictable person!
Be it work or family life, unpredictable persons are never acknowledged! And how do you know that your client or friend is unpredictable, it is only because he/she never keeps up to their word? This can be called a lack of self-discipline and their out-of-integrity behavior becomes consistent in every aspect of life which makes it difficult for them to value their words.
Here is my little secret on how to develop Integrity
A sneak peek of defining word:
- What you say, matters: What you say you will do and what you say that you will not do, it all matters, especially by what time, or say, by when.
- What you say is valid: When you have said something, then you are responsible for what you said as you have created an existence for it. So, make sure what you said stands asserted
- What you do: What you do must be aligned with what you say and it must be done on time so that you are on your word, mindful of your time.
- What is expected: Whatever is expected from you is must be done on time, unless you express the contrary of not doing so.
By being clear in what you say and being accountable for that, can not only get 40% increase in productivity like I did but 300% too!
If you have been out of integrity, then first acknowledge that and clean your mess. Talk to the impacted person, face the fear, deal with the challenges of breaking the word and then start maintaining the word. Once you start taking your word seriously and get in sync with the world you just created with the word, you will soon pump your productivity
Cleaning mess may not be significantly easy but its rewards for sure are promising!