Your Integrity is your Best Capital
During the recent Transform Africa summit that was held in Kigali, I was privileged to attend one of Strive Masiyiwa’s sessions on Entrepreneurship in Africa. For people who may not know this great son of Africa, google him..search Econet, Kwese and join his facebook teaching series.
As usual, he was very insightful and one his key lessons during the session was simply – “ Your Integrity is your best Capital”.
We live in a world where we all want quick solutions. Most young people seem blocked to venture into entrepreneurship because though they may have bright ideas, they usually lack knowledge on many aspects of business. But what the youth really lacks today is the ability to honour their word and respect promises, contracts, deadlines etc.
Recently, I worked with a young entrepreneur and it took over nine months to be paid…(I still haven’t received full payment). Each time she made a promise, she broke it and didn’t get back to me, she would just disappear and go quiet as if she hadn’t made that promise.
Integrity is the adherence to moral and ethical principles. It is the soundness of moral character or honesty. Whether we work for others or own the business, integrity is a personal quality of fairness that we should all aspire to.
In business, integrity is a great component of your success because at the end, your reputation is what will make your name or brand. Having integrity means doing the right thing in a reliable way and having a moral compass that doesn’t waver.
It is unfortunate that this virtue is rare in this modern age. As an entrepreneur or service provider, you should invest in anything that can brand you positively, believe me, not honouring your promises will spoil your reputation even if you have a good idea for business.
Honesty and integrity should be the foundations of any business. There are no moral shortcuts in the game of business and usually, those who succeed are those who remain honest.
Do not compromise your integrity even in small situations with little consequences. Let your yes be yes. Keep your promises without fail. And always tell the truth even if the truth is painful.
What do you want to be known or remembered for? Let Integrity, Quality, Excellence describe you and your business. These virtues will build your brand for the future.
In this issue, we are delighted to feature one of the Young CEOs who is managing Printex, a leading printing company in Rwanda. Enjoy the reading and do send us your feedback/suggestions on the articles, the pictures and design. Though the production of each issue remains a struggle for lack of advertisers and sponsors, we are dedicated to quality and excellence at all costs; that is what we want to be known for.
Sandra Idossou
Publisher/CEO