You hear the word integrity quite often but what exactly does it mean? And does your internal compass have the ability to guide you in the right direction? Reputation and integrity are everything and this subject has captivated my interest as of late. After looking into it more detail I would like to share a brief summary of five principles based on my findings.
The good news first – integrity is a learned behavior, we all have the ability to tap into it and use it as an internal compass to guide us both our actions and interactions.
Unfortunately though, there is also a downside in that not everyone makes the conscious effort to practice integrity in their daily life. In some cases this can have a really negative impact.
I don’t have to provide examples of when this occurs here as you are constantly being bombarded with many courtesy of the media or what you’ve seen in your own personal life – whether it comes in the form of a celebrity, public figure, politician, co-worker or an interaction you may have with a complete stranger as you go about your day.
Wikipedia defines integrity as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. It is generally a personal choice to uphold oneself to consistent moral and ethical standards.
While we may all have our own unique perceptions of integrity, below are five principles based on the words or observable actions of people I have encountered:
1. Transparency. While deep down we may all want to be something or someone we are not, conducting yourself in a way that doesn’t reflect who you truly are is the equivalent of walking around wearing a disguise. It’s merely a matter of time before the mask will become loose and you will be left holding the bag. Being transparent, and owing your own story is actually quite liberating and freeing as I captured here.
2. Accountability. This is a great measuring stick in the workplace, especially with those in a position of power, although it’s equally applicable in the home front. People with high levels of integrity don’t push the blame on others when things go wrong but instead look inward and take ownership of the situation, identifying ways it can be resolved.
3. Do the right thing and always stay in alignment to your moral principles. I have worked in many large organizations and while some times doing the right thing wasn’t easy, and meant a few feathers had to be ruffled, I had much greater respect for those who did stay the course than those who did not.
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley
4. Be willing to apologize if you have stepped out of line. No one likes to make mistakes yet you can have moments where you do slip up, this has certainly happened to me. In times like this, be the greater person and own up to it with a sincere and generous apology. We have all experienced being on the receiving end of one and it goes a long way in helping you to know that someone fully gets that they were out of line so that both parties can move past the situation.
5. Withhold judgment in situations where you don’t have all the facts. No one likes to feel judged. For many years I have had the privilege of volunteering at a homeless shelter each month to help serve a meal. What impressed me the most the first day I stepped into this agency was that no one is ever judged for their appearance, the circumstances that have brought them there or their behavior. Everyone is accepted for who they are.
So what should you do should you encounter lack of integrity in other people?
Think of it as being an opportunity for you to step back and assess how you can best course correct so that you can associate and be surrounded by people that don’t take away from your positive energy.
Whenever I experience this, an analogy that works for me is to think of a ship that is sailing on choppy waters.
Sure, I can learn to sail in high winds, but why would I put myself in that predicament in the first place when I have the ability to sail in a calm sea?
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