Knowing your friends

• Tweet
• Email

Well my mortgage broker decided I was 48 today so I may never speak to him again .

Actually the opposite is true. I was thinking today how fortunate I am to have such incredible people working with/for me. I hear so often how much people like/respect/get on with the people I refer them to. It’s encouraging to know that there are so many professionals who work with me because they agree with my principles and ethics.

Now often people misinterpret this as me saying that I am somehow perfect or “holier than thou”.
In fact nothing could be further from the truth. I fail often, I am corrupted by sin just like the rest of the planet.
What I think it does mean for me though is to simply be honest when things do go wrong, to try and help where I can, to not lie or cover up. In this world we will never always get things right. Some things are impossible to predict or protect 100% against.

But if we always come back to the principles we live by, then we can always sleep at night. And people know that whilst you may not be perfect, you can be relied upon to be consistent and be doing the best you can.

For example I tend to avoid public defence of myself or my position event hough I get regularly attacked, tall poppy mowers alive and well in NZ.

Often people are surprised that I allow defamatory statements to be made and don’t threaten action as many in my industry do.

But what most people don’t know, because again I don’t advertise it, is that I get emails and phone calls from around the world from people who contact me just to acknowledge how much they respect that fact that I don’t behave like many of my peers. They establish relationships with me because they trust me to not expose them and not to listen to or pass on gossip that is also is sadly common in this game.

Even in my own investing I live this way. For example I have never recommended a property deal that I didn’t buy into myself. Does this make the deal bullet proof?? No that is impossible. But it means I am never asking anyone to put their money where I am not also putting it. This is a principle I live by.

I’m sharing all this with you because this is the power of principles. It is NOT saying “Hey I’m perfect, look at me”. But it is saying, ” I will always do what I believe is right to the best of my ability and I will protect our relationship in the same way”.

If I gave you a list of the people who have recently become friends and associates from the USA and Australia simply because I choose not to correct those who spitefully attack me it would really blow your mind.

So can I encourage you to do the same. Stick to your guns, do the right thing, pursue forgiveness over justice, mercy over victory.

It pays enormous dividends in the long run and means you can hold your head up high everywhere you go.

Sorry if this is overly deep and reflective, but hey I’m 46 today, NOT 48 THANKS KRIS , so this is my present to you.

Stay Safe ~ Dean