2 We should surround ourselves with people we trust and respect; people we’ll actually listen to.
While integrity should be of the utmost importance to us, sometimes bad habits, ignorance, or old vices rear their ugly heads.
Not to mention what we may say or do when our inhibitions are eroded because we’re tired, worn out, or at a breaking point.
That’s when we need the people that we trust around us the most.
According to news sources , Bill Gates had the benefit of two executives who held him accountable for his actions and attempted to stop his inappropriate behavior.
But as entrepreneurs, usually working with small teams or only a handful of employees, we may not have such benefit.
This is why we need to foster a culture of safety; we need the people around us to feel safe enough to call us on any inappropriate behavior without fear of wrath or retaliation—even when they work for us.
And we need to trust and respect these people enough to listen to them when they speak up. Because we’re all human, and like it or not, we all make mistakes.
But having people around us that we trust who can hold us accountable, can help to keep little mistakes from becoming giant problems that not only affect ourselves and the people around us but our companies as well.
3 This news on Bill Gates is more proof that we need to build excellent reputations and work to keep them.
My dad was a businessman who often had clients, and I’ll always remember the rules he set for himself to avoid “the appearance of wrongdoing”. Whenever he had a meeting with a female client, he made it a point to leave his door open. And if he needed to meet with a female client outside of his office, the meeting would be arranged in a very public place during the day.
He worked hard to protect his reputation and he gave very little leeway for anyone to accuse him of anything.
We should hold ourselves to the highest of standards and we should work to build and maintain excellent reputations. As entrepreneurs, everything we accomplish is affected by our reputations, everything is at stake—even our companies.
We should be walking examples of the values that we have set forth for our companies. Our reputations and the way we treat people is what we will be remembered for the most, it’s our true legacy.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
And when our reputation is on the line, when our integrity is questioned, those who know us will be able to stand firmly behind us without question.
Final Thoughts on the Recent Bill Gates News
Despite whether the news reported about Bill Gates is truthful or just recycled rumors, as his representative claims, it is obvious that there are still relics from the past that haunt society today, and perhaps perpetuate the behaviors many of us are trying so hard to eradicate. And while we may only control small companies with a mere handful of employees, that does not exclude us from our responsibility as leaders.
The reality is, how we’re treating people now and what we do in secret when no one is watching, says a lot about our character and will follow us despite whatever mask we attempt to wear.
Because masks eventually erode and fall away.
And a truth hidden finds its way to the light.
By practicing integrity now, we won’t have much, if anything, to apologize for later. That’s what we should strive for.
As entrepreneurs, the cards stack against us. Let’s do everything we can to make sure one of those cards is not our own.
Thanks for reading.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alana Jen
Alana is Editor-in-Chief at Enora Magazine and owner of Enora & Co., a Digital Marketing & Publishing Agency. She fell in love with entrepreneurship while pursuing her degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering and uses her technical expertise to help other entrepreneurs build their businesses online.
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