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“Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, once told me something I’ll never forget,” recalled Thomas. “She said the one suggestion she got in life that helped her most was to ‘pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’”
That was the simple philosophy behind everything that Thomas did. From the way he ran Wendy’s to his championing of the adoption cause, the principle of caring for other people served as his cornerstone. Thomas strove to act with integrity and treat people with respect on a daily basis not simply because he was just that kind of a guy, but because he knew it made good business sense too.
“You earn your reputation by the things you do every day,” said Thomas. By prioritizing honesty and straightforwardness, Thomas gained a strong reputation throughout his own company, as well as the industry and the country. A large part of Thomas’ entrepreneurial genius came from this simplicity. He believed in being truthful and direct under any and all given circumstances.
For Thomas, his most important and bankable characteristic was his own personal integrity. He lived by the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated, or in his own words, “Just be nice.” Whenever Thomas met new people, he would look them in the eye and say their name. This, he believed, was the greatest sign of respect.
“What’s the secret to success?” asked Thomas. “It’s no secret. You need a winning attitude, honesty and integrity, and a burning desire to succeed.” Thomas was most at home when he was talking with Wendy’s restaurant operators, to whom he was seen as a role model. He believed that if he said he was going to do something, he should do it and that in any difficult situation where a tough decision had to made, the solution wasn’t really that difficult – simply “choose to do the right thing”.
Thomas believed that businessmen who sacrificed their integrity in the name of making profits would lose in the long run. “Why aren’t we just nice to people,” he once asked. Throughout his career, Thomas had to face the critics who said he was ‘too nice’ to succeed and that he would never make it if he weren’t cutthroat. But, Thomas stayed true to who he was as a person, as a businessman, and ran his business like he wanted it to be run, and embodying the types of values he wanted it to have.
“A great leader is someone who practices what they preach,” said Thomas. “They lead by example, create a sense of loyalty and teamwork, and are active in the community sharing their success with those in need.” By treating everyone around him with equality and respect and by operating Wendy’s in an upstanding way, Thomas gained a reputation as an honest businessman who always put people before profits. In doing so, he profited beyond even his wildest expectations.
Use disarming honesty and take responsibility, be curious and assume the other person has a worthwhile point of view that merits your understanding .. to avoid having to justify or defend your position or behaviours...
It’s not just business acumen, but integrity, that carries you forward in the business world. It’s as simple as keeping your word, or, in some cases, remembering what your words were. It seems that “simple” isn’t al...
Students at the College of Charleston can earn a new grade on their report cards this semester. Instead of an "A" or a "B," they can get an "XF," which is not a good thing. The "XF" grade means a student fai...
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The definition of integrity has two parts, both equally important.
It’s not just business acumen, but integrity, that carries you forward in the business world. It’s as simple as keeping your word, or, in some cases, remembering what your words were. It seems that “simple” isn’t al...
