Building people, as we do in network marketing, is an environment where honesty and integrity have to be rated even higher than normal.

Author Jeff O’Leary, in The Centurion Principles, writes, " ‘Honor’ encompasses the virtues of integrity and honesty, self-denial, loyalty, and a servant’s humility to those in authority above as well as a just and merciful heart to those below."

Today “honour“ sounds a bit old-fashioned. But living a life of integrity and character is timeless and a MUST for a leader. It’s about choices, and a person’s choices determine their life.

This doesn’t say a leader needs to be perfect. Perfection in  life is not possible nobody is an exception. However, a leader must continually work toward perfection in spite of this.

The most effective leaders throughout history have led with their hearts, in trust, and with honour.
If a leader cuts corners, misuses people, or distorts the truth, a time bomb begins ticking to go off at some unknown time. In our times we see too often: Public figures at the height of power and fame crash and burn in the cloud of self-inflicted shame. From political scandals to high-profile corporate frauds – this is the result of a lack of honor in the leadership.

It is honour that holds a leader’s greed in check it prevents a leader from focusing on is own interest. It makes leaders productive. Another seemingly old-fashioned word, “duty”, is the result.

George Washington said of duty, "Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected."

Leaders with honesty and integrity will find happiness in the fulfillment of their duty to others. It is the character of a man which is being remembered.

A leader needs to act true to his word!

A leader must devote himself to matters of the heart if he wants to leave a legacy for the world. Character is developed in the valleys and the peaks of life and that’s why  such a person can overcome obstacles and deal with success.

Abraham Lincoln observed, "Nearly all men can handle adversity, but if you really want to test a man’s character – give him power." Character connects a person to what is right and true.

People will follow a leader only as far as they feel they can trust him.

People will not follow a leader they can’t trust. R. Ruth Barton states: "We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before they consider the kind of person they should be”.

People are not removed from [leadership] positions for lack of technical competence, but for lack of judgment and character" – as Heraclitus said: "Man’s character is his fate."

Last but not least it takes courage to be a leader with honesty and integrity as not all he does will be popular!

It is very obvious why personal development is a key factor in the free  training we offer. You need to believe in yourself and act with honesty and integrity to become a leader in network marketing.

To Your Success

Frieke Karlovits

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What a hot topic! Let me at first limit it to every day life – a life of normal human relationships and business. When you look round on the internet to find out how to proceed in taking your business there, you are at first overwhelmed by the number of offers which keep pouring in. Every single offer sounds tempting, rewarding and interesting when you look at it as an uninformed “newby”. It is not only the new medium which makes things so complex it is also the general low knowledge about the industry of network marketing.

It is recognised truth by now – or at least it should be – that network marketing is not a selling business, but a business of building people. Knowing this it becomes clear that “truth” is relative. When it comes to dealing with people there is no standard, no data sheet which constitutes the truth, but there is the truth of universal ethics and respect, a quality which everyone knows but apparently only few can actually muster. There are a number of true facts which can be determined, like having a sound and mutually beneficial contract, commission plans which pay as they are claimed they will without having hidden snags which an average person cannot understand until they are trapped. Another truth which is critical – the willingness to give support in a genuine way which makes people succeed without having to distort the information, the background of a company which ought to be solid from the founders to their intentions and business handling. This list already shows that recognising the truth may be a challenge at times.

The area of half truths, however is by far bigger. As many of the points listed above are a challenge to recognise, it becomes easy to spread half truths, like tell people how good a company is although insiders know that the founders might not have a clean history or “bragging” about a commission plan although it may be clear to the “savvy” that is based on the failure of many, praising a product highly although it can be worked out easily that it is twice or even more the price it is worth. Even offering support where it is obvious within short that no average person can ever be successful with that kind of proposed action or even sell tools to people who are in no position to judge what value they get and who despair as they are not having success although it is not their fault and they are perfect the way they are, as Michael Dlouhy keeps pointing out.

Lots of points contained in the second group can very well also be considered to be lies. The only thing that puts them in the category of half truths is the fact that many people who proclaim them are not aware of the problems themselves and believe what they are proclaiming and this makes education on the topic such a challenge. How to explain to someone who believes what he/she proclaims that in essence they are riding the wrong horse. Very often they have to fall first, some of them deep, before they are willing to listen, to learn!

There is this old prayer: “Please let me understand what I need to understand, and let me bear what I have to bear and please let me have the wisdom to distinguish between the two”.

With that I wish you wisdom for the challenges you face

Frieke Karlovits

Your Mentor with A Servant’s Heart

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