Welcome to September, folks! After enduring months of scorching temperatures, we’re finally cooling down and watching as the leaves change. It’s almost fall, y’all!

While the seasons may be changing, important values for both Prime drivers and fathers endure, including the theme for this month: integrity. How does integrity correlate with your reputation? What role does integrity play in owning up to mistakes? Can you do the right thing, even when no one is watching?

Seasoned Prime driver dad Buddy Gray has discussed in previous blog posts the importance of connection and family. This week, Good Dads sat down for a new interview with Buddy to discuss the values of honesty and integrity—and the importance of passing these values onto your own children.

Own up to your mistakes

Everybody makes mistakes, but the important thing is to learn from them. Demonstrating integrity involves owning up to your mistakes, even if you feel ashamed or embarrassed. According to Buddy, failure to own up to mistakes leads to future failure.

“If you can’t be honest to yourself and the mistakes you make, it’s building yourself up to fall on your face again,” he said. “The bottom line is: You make a mistake, stand up to it!”

For example, you may accidentally miss an exit and have to add additional hours to your route. Instead of attempting a risky U-turn, let dispatch your dispatch know about the delay and own up to it.

Making mistakes is nothing to be ashamed of, nor is asking for help. Integrity is demonstrated through accountability and a willingness to improve. Similarly, it’s important to show grace for your children as they grow and make mistakes of their own.

“Be honest on what you do and what mistakes you make,” Buddy continued. “In the long run, it will show that you’ve raised them the right way. But they will make mistakes as time goes on, as we all do.”

Showing integrity improves your reputation

Integrity for Prime drivers is important because you’re representing both yourself and the company. According to Buddy, failing to demonstrate integrity through lack of professionalism or poor decorum makes both the driver and the company look bad.

“They see you behind the wheel and your name on the side of your truck,” he said. “Show professionalism to (both) customers and shippers.”

As a Prime driver, you have a reputation to uphold. Likewise, as a father, if you don’t set a good example for your children, it decreases trust and accountability between yourself and your family.

For example, it’s important that you don’t dismiss your mistakes. If you plan on making a phone call to your child at 7 p.m. but either forget or aren’t able to make it in time, instead of saying “I was busy,” provide a sincere apology. This increases accountability and provides closure for your child.

Demonstrating integrity builds trust with fellow drivers

Working for Prime involves plenty of teamwork between fellow drivers and dispatchers. Being honest and owning up to mistakes helps you build trust with your team. According to Buddy, that kind of character is passed down to different drivers, giving them an idea of what kind of person you are.

“If you trust your fellow driver, it’ll reward you in the long run,” he said. “Word of mouth travels faster than anything else!”

Being in the industry as long as he has, Buddy has built connections with other drivers, talking and answering questions. Being honest and showing integrity is a start in creating connections built on trust, and it can even lead to long-lasting friendships.

Being dishonest has consequences

Trusting yourself and others and building a reputation of reliability leads other people to be there for you in times of need. But what happens if you were to do the opposite, such as displaying signs of self-doubt or telling lies? According to Buddy, it all comes back: good or bad!

“If you lie, it’ll come back to haunt you sooner or later,” he warned. “If you’re honest with someone, they’ll be honest with you, and you’ll see what works out in the long run.”

In our previous post, we talked about compassion and the phrase “what goes around comes around.” If you help others and demonstrate your trustworthiness, you’re more likely to receive that attitude back to you.

Final Words

Buddy said he was always told that “honesty is the best policy.” As he said above, a lie can turn around and come back to haunt you, so it’s best that you remain honest and trustworthy. It helps set a good example to your children and other drivers and demonstrates the value of integrity.

For Buddy’s adult children, instilling these important values early has helped him continue to foster a relationship with them. In other words, because Buddy prioritizes being a dad of integrity, he’s managed to raise children with the same values!

“All three of my kids have grown into their own path,” he said. “They’ve been a blessing.”