The DNA of the Successful Gentleman – Part 2 INTEGRITY DNA

This is a guest post by Mark Demos, President of Corp-DNA and LSI.

“WYSIWYG”  Have you ever seen the acronym?  It means – What You See Is What You Get.  That is a promise that means INTEGRITY.  Integrity means what is seen externally is a reflection of or generated by what is internal. 

There are many DNA Markers of success.  This series is focusing on The DNA of The Successful Gentleman.  When I talk about the DNA, I am talking a200368973-001bout those elements of who you are that define you.  What stands out?  What you are known for?  When people talk about you, it is how they describe you?  It has everything to do with Integrity.

This blog is written specifically for The Gents Place.  The INTEGRITY DNA of The Gents Place is why you go and spend your money and time there.  You go for what you know you are most likely, time and time again, to receive at a standard of excellence.  What is offered on the menu is what is delivered, often more.  Who serves you does so in a manner you demand for the price you pay.  Their expertise is exceptional and their service is outstanding.  You get what you pay for – and more.   Integrity is your BRAND!

Have you ever met someone who represented themselves as one thing but the more you got to know them, what you saw is not what you originally thought?  They promised a level of service but didn’t really deliver.  They are like a Hollywood set.  It looks like a street but is nothing more than wooden or cardboard fronts painted to look like houses or stores.  There is nothing of substance behind them.

I know an attorney who embodies all the essential elements of Integrity DNA. His name is Philip Dunlap. Not only is he an excellent attorney, but he is also a man of exceptional character. Attorneys are not generally held in high regard in our society. They are often seen as people who can bend and work the “truth” and stretch reality to their client’s advantage.

When I first met Philip Dunlap, he told me he would represent me if I would agree to do two things: never lie to him, and show him photographs of my children. His approach was not some clinical procedure or battle about to be waged at all costs and won. He saw law as being more than simply getting the best for his client; he had a heart that saw my children as people.

During the course of a very lengthy custody case, Phil often had to litigate with two to four attorneys on the opposing side, all at one time. The opposing attorneys worked in downtown office towers with all the trappings of material success and resources with which to overwhelm and win against most of their opponents. Phil worked out of a small office in his house and drove an old white pickup truck. 

Philip Dunlap maintained his Integrity DNA at all times, even when the opposing counsel forgot the truth or decided ethics and honesty were not necessary. He valued truth and integrity over their win-at-all-costs mentality. This was the case more than once.

Whom do you know like Phil Dunlap? Who challenges you to be a better person and support your life with honesty, character, and ethics? Whom do you know that will challenge you to maintain your ethics when others might cut corners and take the advantage?

Reflect for a moment and rate the level of your Integrity in the following areas:

1.       Business dealings

2.       Personal relationships

3.       Financial dealings

4.       Golf course

5.       LinkedIn profile

The purpose of life is the move towards a greater integrity of who we are.  I am not what I want to be and know I have a long way to go.  The more my Exterior Gentleman is congruent with my Internal Gentleman – the more of a Real Gentleman I will be. 

1.      How would I personally rate my current level of personal integrity?

2.      What am I purposefully doing and working on to my Integrity?

3.     Who can I team up with to work with to help me train, set goals and push towards a life that reflects the Gentleman I know I want to become? 

One last question.  When you walk out of The Gents Place looking like and feeling like a Gentleman is supposed to look, are you who you look to be?

The next Blog will look at the DNA of Successful Gentlemen – Gratitude DNA

7730cookie-checkThe DNA of the Successful Gentleman – Part 2 INTEGRITY DNA

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