Keep your name and your credit good.

Why?  Because it will beat you to the next place.

My grandfather became a leader at Quaker Oats by managing grain and other goods, their exchange, the monetary transactions and most importantly, the customer relationships.  He was (in terms of American business) a success.  He spent over 40 years in his career, almost all with Quaker Oats.  He was respected by management, by the local farmer, by the local business commerce folks, and...he was extremely talented in ensuring the products, services and profits were top of line.

Most times, in today's world, a leader would need a college degree (possibly a MBA), years of understudy training, promotions, willingness to relocate, and huge potential to achieve the type of success that I just described.  Not my grandfather, who went by the name of Poor Fred.  He was nothing but poor, he was appreciated and respected at work, beloved by his family, and known everywhere he went, in advance of his arrival.  He never graduated from high school, let alone the fancy degrees our world seems to desire today, he received his education in life.  As he said, the school of hard knox.

Poor Fred had many principles that he lived by, and that I witnessed first hand in his business and personal life.  One of which is "Keep your name and your credit good, it will beat you to the next place".  Let me describe what that really means and how you need to apply it to your leadership, and life, today.

It is about integrity, truthfulness and honor.  Your word is all you have, it is all you control.  When you say you are going to do something, do it, and do it on time, as you promised.  There is no negotiation between what you said you will do, and what you do.  If they don't match, you have no integrity.   As for truth, it is simple, speak it at all times.  Never slander, never twist, no white lies, nothing that isn't the truth.  And if it hurts, so be it, be gentle, yet stay in the truth.  And finally, honor.  What is honor.  It is that undefinable image that someone has of you when your name is mentioned.  Do they smile?  Do they show respect?  Are you mentioned with words of affection and excitement to share your company? 

You may say, Randy, what about the credit part, are we really talking about credit scores in leadership?  Yes, and more.  We are talking about honoring your commitments, including loans, debts, and obligations to others (even those that aren't financial).  When you owe someone something, pay them back.  If an employee is due a raise, don't delay, give them their fair due.  If a client is owed a credit for a mistake, acknowledge the mistake, own it, offer the credit and promptly pay it.  Oh, and not on new work in the future, that is a trap.  Give them a real credit for what went wrong, and do it today.

When someone thinks of you, when your name comes up, what is being said?  When you are about to walk in a place you have never been, imagine that your name, your credit score, a history of what you owed to others, and said about others shows up first.  Everyone is prepared to meet you, the you that has been kept of record based on your word being true, your promises being kept, your payment being sound.  I hope you can be proud of that record.  And even though he was known as Poor Fred, I can assure you, he was of his...