I was on the speech and debate team in college. My favorite event was Impromptu Speaking . We’d walk into a room, and the judge would hand us a quote – either notable in its own right or from a famous individual. It’s where I started my collection of favorite quotes. Last month, I shared some of my favorite quotes from women I admire. Since turnabout is fair play, this month, I thought I’d point the spotlight at some quotable men.

This quote is far more famous than individual to whom it is attributed:

“The cornerstone of leadership is defined by integrity. Integrity is not a 90% thing, it’s not a 95% thing—you either have it or you don’t.”

You’ve probably never heard of the man behind the quote: Peter Scotese, a 1981 Horatio Alger Award Winner. Admittedly, I hadn’t heard of Mr. Scotese either. But having been introduced to the quote, I learned he had a rather humble start in a school for orphaned boys. He went on to the Wharton School of Business and a successful career in textiles – culminating with being named the Textile Man of the Year by the New York Board of Trade.

I think the quote points out that regardless of the industry in which you work, we have far more in common than not. Integrity, or at least the need for integrity, is right there at the top of the list. I wouldn’t follow anyone whom I didn’t trust, and I certainly wouldn’t expect anyone to follow me if they didn’t believe I was being honest and forthright.

I believe integrity builds trust. Trust is necessary for speedy execution. And speedy delivery and execution is the cornerstone of Clearfield.