Hey all… here’s a quick video summary of Infinitive Fundamental #1 - Do the right thing, always…

At Infinitive, we know that the true value of our services lies in the exceptional skills and dedication of our team.  That's why I am excited to roll out "The Infinitive Way" - a set of 31 fundamentals that shape our culture. #1 - DO THE RIGHT THING, ALWAYS. Demonstrate an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing in every action you take and in every decision you make, especially when no one’s looking. Always tell the truth, no matter the consequences. If you make a mistake, own up to it, apologize, and make it right. There is a reason this is the first fundamental for us to review and discuss.  “Do the right thing”.  Seems easy enough.  Most of the time, determining the right thing is straightforward and black and white. However, it’s not always that easy.  Sometimes we need a bit of wisdom to guide us.  Whenever in doubt, be sure to share with someone your read on a situation and your plan forward.  You may be surprised at the simple tweaks that will ensure you do the right thing and achieve the right outcome. I grew up the son of an Army soldier (my dad) and a nurse (my mom).  I was raised in a household with a combination of discipline and caring.  As well, we were a church going family and always had lessons of integrity and ethics both at home and at church.  Honestly, I am grateful for that upbringing.  It has served me well in my role at Infinitive and at home where Kathleen and I are raising our kids.  However, one thing I’ve learned is that we are always talking about integrity and ethics for a reason… there is not a cookie cutter answer to every situation.  And we need to think for ourselves and apply life lessons to situations.  I do this every day at work when talking about sales, delivery and internal issues.  It is not uncommon for me to solicit advice on the right path forward on many situations. Whenever I share life lessons given to me by my parents, I always share this one and it applies to our first fundamental:  My mother used to drive every day from Burke, VA to Northeast DC.  To save time, she would take the HOV lanes.  But she would have to pick up riders… Yes, she would go to a big parking lot in VA and pick up riders so that she would be able to use the HOV lanes.  She would do this every day and most of the time drop folks off at the Pentagon.  Using the HOV lanes would save her 30-45 min each way.  Well one day, she was on her usual 395N route, however, she had to stop at a doctor’s office and wouldn’t be able to drive HOV nor pick up riders.  As she approached the entrance to 395N, and due to the course of habit, she accidentally got on the HOV lanes.  She realized it right away.  But she was stuck in the HOV lane and couldn’t exit.  About 2 miles on 395N HOV lanes, she saw a police car pulled over another driver.  Since she was guilty of driving solo in HOV, she decided to pull up behind the police car and wait to talk to the officer.  The officer, curious why someone pulled up behind his car, asked her what she was doing.  She replied, “I accidentally got on HOV without any passengers, I need you to give me a ticket.”   This was her “right thing to do”.   Thankfully and literally, the cop laughed and told her she could go.  I think she made his day… and I have always wondered if he shared the story as much as I do. 😊 I share that story because sometimes we do the wrong thing.  And the wrong thing can be remedied by fessing up and apologizing.  And often, you earn more respect in the process. Now, back to applying wisdom.  What we do is hard and complex.  And sometimes we encounter situations where doing the right thing may impact budget or delay the project.  The wrong thing to do is ignore the situation and never bring it up.  The right thing to do is address it with your team and/or supervisor.  Many times, the power of talking through things creates ideas that end up being better than the original plan.  But sometimes it doesn’t, and we just need to come clean.  Either way, you are doing the right thing. So, as we talk about this fundamental and further embed it in our culture, here’s my personal guidance: 1. It’s not always easy to do the right thing, but it sure feels better when we do… Doing the right thing enables better sleep at night. 2. Discussions of issues with colleagues can lead to better solutions. 3. Coming clean on an issue or problem can garner more respect than if there is no issue at all. 4. You can’t be great without doing the right thing!  There are no short cuts to do the right thing. I look forward to hearing from others throughout this week on what this fundamental means to you. If you like this post, give me a follow. I will be sharing a new fundamental for our company culture every Tuesday. Stay tuned!