After working on refinishing his cabin's hardwood floors, Eric was ready for a break. Grabbing his fishing pole and tackle box, he went out the back door. There was nothing more peaceful to him than sitting by the lake and enjoying nature's beauty. Fishing was merely an excuse to do that—after all, most of the time, he didn't catch anything—and when he did, he usually threw it back.

His thoughts wandered as he imagined his grandfather sitting on this very spot, under the shade of a gnarly old oak tree. It was the same spot where his grandfather had taught him to fish when he was just a boy. A couple decades later, he wished he'd heeded the words that his grandpa had generously shared and remembered the tales of the older man's adventures.

Most of all, he wished his grandfather was around to answer his questions and pass along some advice.

A sudden bend of his fishing pole brought him back to the present. There was always something thrilling about the catch, reeling it in, and taking pride in the sport. Today was no different. He yanked the pole back and reeled the line in a few times, pausing just enough to relax the fish before repeating the process and bringing it closer. Before he was able to reel it to shore, though, he lost resistance in the line.

“Oh, the one that got away.”

Eric turned around to find his friend, Kevin, standing behind him with a big grin on his face.

“It was a big one, I tell ya,” Eric laughed. “Good to see you. It's been a while. What's up?”

“Ah, not much. Deb's at her parents' house tonight, so I thought I'd stop by and see how the cabin's coming along.”

“It's coming. I'm not in a big hurry, as you can see. But I'm making progress, slowly but surely.”

“Great. Hey, you been busy? Do you have a lot of work lined up?”

“No, nothing at the moment, but I do have feelers out. Actually, I'm trying something different and giving former clients a fee for referrals. It's an experiment, I guess, but I hope something pans out.”

“Eric, you do excellent work … and speaking of referrals, that's another reason I stopped by. My in‐laws are getting their house ready to sell. That's why Deb's there right now, helping them go through decades of stuff they've accumulated. Anyway, I thought I'd give you a heads up—they're going to downsize, but they want to build. I told them to give you a call. You up for it?”

“You bet I am! When are they ready to start? How do I get a hold of them? Oh, and hey, I'll make sure you get a referral fee!”

“Slow down, buddy. First, I gave them your number, and they said they're going to call you this week. And you don't have to give me that referral fee. I mean, what are friends for?”

“I appreciate it. I really do. You know, as a general contractor, I'll have to hire subcontractors—it's a big step for me—one that could make a huge difference.”

“I know. But I have faith in you, Eric. I wouldn't have recommended you if I didn't. Now, how about a tour of your homestead?”

After walking Kevin through the cabin and telling him about his plans to update the kitchen, while retaining its vintage rustic style, Eric was disappointed that Kevin had to leave. It was always good to see him, but since Kevin and Debbie had become an item, they didn't get together very often.

After promising to keep in touch, Eric walked down the lane to check his mailbox, surprised to see an envelope with the old man's handwriting on it. Feeling the contents, he knew right away that it contained another token.

Reaching in, he pulled out the wooden token that was inscribed with the word Integrity on one side and Ethics on the other.

Interesting, he thought. I just wonder how it applies to me.

Two days later, Debbie's father called him, and they scheduled an appointment for the next day. After looking over the house plans, Eric made a few recommendations—changes that he thought would improve the layout and one that would save the couple a few thousand dollars. Eric took the plans home, promising to prepare a bid and get it back to them in a couple days.

It was a job that Eric really wanted, so he tried to figure out ways to reduce his bid to ensure he'd be awarded the project. He could try to cut labor costs, but he was reminded of something his father had said. “Eric, you should always hire the best you can afford, not the cheapest you can get.”

To Eric, that also meant he couldn't cut corners on the quality of the materials. That's where reputations took a big hit, and his reputation was something he was trying to build, not destroy. In the end, he decided to prepare the bid as realistically as possible, using the acceptable pay scale for the trades and allowing for a reasonable profit for himself. It was an honest bid, and all he could do was hope for the best.

He delivered the bid two days later as promised. To his surprise, Debbie's father took one look at the final figure and said, “You're hired. When can you get started?”

Eric had been prepared to discuss the bid and how he came to his numbers, justifying them if he needed to. “Are you sure? You don't want to review the bid?”

“No. I trust Kevin. If he says you're my man, that's good enough for me. How about we take a ride to the lot?”

Eric liked what he saw—the lot was clear with the exception of a few established trees that didn't have to be cut down. It was in a newer residential neighborhood, and the houses were all single‐family dwellings with attached garages on half‐acre lots. Eric was happy to know he'd be the builder for at least one of them.

He was happy to tell his friend, Carl, about it in his next email.

“This project has the potential to be really good for my business. At first, I thought I'd have to find a way to cut costs to get the bid, but that wasn't the case. And I have to admit, I'm reluctant to reduce quality when it comes to my work and customers. I guess that's what integrity is about. Right?

“Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I got the job through a referral. And my friend says he doesn't want the referral fee! Win!”

Carl's reply wasn't quite what he expected.

Eric fully intended to build the house according to specs, giving the customer precisely what he wanted and nothing less, leaving him to wonder just what Carl was referring to. Then it hit him—he promised a fee when he got a project from a referral, and that promise didn't change because Kevin had generously refused it. Integrity—his word was his promise, not only to his customers, but to himself. He had to be a man of his word and honor his promises, even if other people didn't expect him to.

Ultimately, the one person he had to answer to was himself. It was about being true to his word and a person others could trust. That was integrity. It was, in fact, a principle that his grandfather had lived by. And he knew in his heart that his grandfather would never have backed down from a commitment or a promise, no matter how small.

Carl was right. Kevin might not care about a $50 referral fee, but Eric did. Sure, he could save himself a few dollars by letting it slide, but he knew now that it would bother him if he didn't follow through. Writing out a check and a thank‐you note to his friend, he put the envelope on the table so he'd remember to mail it the next day. Even though his bank account was a little lighter, he felt good about it.

I guess there are things money can't buy, and pride is one of them, he thought.