Integrity in business matters. Always.
Making promises. And keeping them.
How I learned the meaning of “integrity”.
Because it matters to us.
“Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.” -Mark Twain.
When I was in high school, students who played sports had to sign a contract promising that they would not drink alcohol during the season.
I broke my promise.
Friends invited me to a party at which I drank one beer.
Upon returning home, I was confronted by my father. He asked me if I drank at the party. I admitted that I had. He said, “We’ll talk in the morning”, turned and walked away. I went to bed thinking that he was unhappy that I drank alcohol.
The next morning he gave me a choice. Turn myself in, or he would. That day, I confessed to my coach. I was suspended from the team for two weeks and had to speak at a school event about what I had done and what I learned from it.
What I learned was one of my most important life lessons. Your word is who you are. When you make a promise, keep it.
In my career, I’ve seen executives who seem to believe that business and integrity are in conflict, that their personal values may be compromised in the interest of career success.
At CodeStringers, integrity matters. We hold integrity as our highest principle.
Michael Manzo.
President & CEO.
Questions people ask.
Why does integrity matter when choosing a technology vendor?
Because most of what a vendor promises cannot be verified until after the money is spent. Budgets, dates and the behaviour of the system are commitments made in advance, and the only guarantee is the character of the people making them. A vendor that keeps its word when a shortcut would be easier is the difference between an estimate you can budget against and a starting position.
What does integrity look like in a software or systems engagement?
Saying what is true rather than what closes the deal, including when the answer is that the client should not do the project. Carrying the downside of an estimate rather than passing it on. Naming who owns a decision and standing behind it when the consequences arrive. And telling the client early when something has gone wrong, rather than when it can no longer be hidden.
How does a company make integrity a working value rather than a slogan?
By institutionalizing it. At CodeStringers every candidate is interviewed against the company's values, every team member is held accountable to them without compromise, and the commercial terms are written to match: discovery that costs nothing unless the client proceeds, estimates the company guarantees, and project plans shown with their full cost before a retainer client commits.
What is the lesson behind the story on this page?
That your word is who you are. The story describes a broken promise, a father who insisted on a confession rather than a cover-up, and a consequence accepted in public. The lesson carried into business is that personal values and career success are not in conflict, and that when a promise is made, it is kept.
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