Byrd Baggett - The Pocket Power Book Of Integrity

THE
POCKET
POWER
BOOK OF
INTEGRITY BYRD BAGGETT RUTLEDGE HILL PRESS
Nashville, Tennessee Copyright 1999 by Byrd Baggett All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews and articles. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Rutledge Hill Press, 211 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee 37219. Distributed in Canada by H. B. Fenn & Company, Ltd., 34 Nixon Road, Bolton, Ontario L7E 1W2.

Distributed in Australia by The Five Mile Press Pty., Ltd., 22 Summit Road, Noble Park, Victoria 3174. Distributed in New Zealand by Tandem Press, 2 Rugby Road, Birkenhead, Auckland 10. Distributed in the United Kingdom by Verulam Publishing, Ltd., 152a Park Street Lane, Park Street, St. Albans, Hertfordshire AL2 2AU. Typography by Compass Communications, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available. ISBN: 1-55853-739-2 Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 903 02 01 00 99 CONTENTS T he seed for this book was planted during the summer of 1985, while I was on family vacation in Austin, Texas.

We were visiting with my parents at their home on beautiful Lake Travis, when a powerful and timely life-changing conversation transpired. My wife, Jeanne, and two children, Amy and Ashley, were out on the lake enjoying all the water activities with my dad. I had stayed back at the house with my mom so that we could share some time alone. Mom was quite ill with a congestive heart disease. She and I were sitting under a majestic oak tree talking about life when she started questioning me about my integrity as a husband. I responded to her, But, Mom, Im a good husband.

I can still see and feel Moms eyes as she said, Son, there are a lot of good people in hell! My mom passed away two months after we had that conversation. This powerful experience is the story behind one of my favorite quotes in this book: The truth may sometimes hurt, but it will always help. Mom understood that living the truth was the only way to achieve true success in life, and her honesty ultimately changed my life. Her courage to speak the truth helped me to understand that integrity and truth are inseparable. Quite simply, integrity is the truth and is the ultimate test by which to measure ones character. Thanks, Mom, for holding me to the highest ideal of life! On another occasion I was having a discussion with one of my clients, interviewing him concerning the topics he wanted me to cover in an upcoming talk I was going to give to his sales team.

He singled out integrity as one of the areas he wanted me to emphasize in my presentation. This client then went on to tell me about one of his peers, an executive in charge of another manufacturing division. This senior manager and two sales representatives were making a sales call on a long-term client. It was a relationship that had accounted for most of the divisions sales volume. After that meeting was over, the executive noticed that one of their competitors new product samples had been left behind for the client to evaluate. Thinking they were alone in the room, the executive placed the sample in his briefcase, closed it, and took the sample home to evaluate.

It turns out, however, that the executive and his two sales reps had not been alone in the room. One of the clients representatives had walked back into the room unnoticed and seen the executive swipe the sample. As a consequence of this lack of integrity, both sales representatives were fired and the executive was barred for life from calling on this customer. Millions of dollars in business and a long-term relationship were lost because of one bad error in judgment! This sad but true story is the basis for another of my favorite quotes in this book: Trust, once lost, is almost impossible to regain. As these stories illustrate, integrity is the foundation for true success in both our personal and professional lives. A life fulfilled is wisdom lived, not knowledge learned.

My single goal for this book is that it serve as a guide as you strive to live a life based on truth. Your journey will not be easy, and your choices may not be popular, but your steadfast commitment to the purity of truth will separate you from the mass of mediocrity. Always search for the truth and never compromise, and the richest blessings of life will be yours! T RUTH IS THE ABSOLUTE STANDARD OF LIFE. THE
POCKET
POWER
BOOK OF
INTEGRITY P ractice what you preach. S uccess at the expense of faith and family is really failure. D o the right thingalways! Y our choice: the courage of truth or the cowardice of compromise. O nce trust is broken, confidence no longer exists. C OMMUNICATION IS THE LIFEBLOOD OF TRUST. A n apology is a sign of a secure person. C hoose to associate with those who reflect your values. T he truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it; but in the end, there it is.
Winston Churchill T he truth may sometimes hurt, but it will always help. P EOPLE DONT CARE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE. P ersonal compromise ultimately leads to professional compromise. T ruth has no special time of its own. Its hour is now always.
Albert Schweitzer P eople hear what you say, but they see what you do; and seeing is believing. I f you dont stand for something, you will fall for almost anything. C HOOSE THE PURITY OF TRUTH OVER POPULARITY. T he true test of character is what one thinks, says, or does when no one is watching. H umility is a constant companion of integrity. W atch your thoughts, because
they become
your words. W atch your words, because they become your actions. W atch your actions, because they become your habits. W atch your habits, because they become your character. W atch your character, because it becomes your destiny. F ollow the truth, not the opinions of others. I t is much easier to live with the truth than to suffer with a lie. C hoose wisdom over knowledge. T he truth always hurts less than holding onto a lie. A rrogance is deadly! T RUE WISDOM IS NOT A FAD. W hat is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular. C hoose to follow those you know are on the right path. T rue success is always built on a bedrock of integrity. I t is very important that you like yourself. T ruth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch. Nay, you may kick it about all day, and it will be round and full at evening.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. S eek advice from wise counsel. T HE SOFTEST PILLOW IS A CLEAR CONSCIENCE.
Dr.

Norman Vincent Peale N ever take advantage of others for personal gain. T he greatest satisfactions in life come as a result of living the truth. L earn from your mistakes, and dont repeat them! S tand for something! E go: Edging God Out M ake it a point to speak to everyone you meet as peers, not peons. C ynicism tempts a compromise of your characterdont give in! Y ou have a choice between developing good habits and developing bad habits. T ake an active role in helping your community. R un from temptation! H eroes build up; cowards beat up. A CTS OF SELF-SATISFACTION OFTEN LEAD TO SELF-DESTRUCTION. P articipate in a fellowship group. It can be a great sounding board for any inner conflict regarding your values.