You either have integrity or you don’t. Seems most, if not all, of us are in agreement. And integrity and accountability crawl, walk, and run hand in hand. Again, I’d say, based on your comments, that we have a fair degree of concurrence on this point. So my final question in this series is this: If you have integrity, where does it ladder up to? Or do you just keep yourself siloed and isolated on your little island of honor – like a Robinson Crusoe, waiting for the serendipitous landing of a likeminded individual?
Here is my take – almost by definition integrity demands that you change your environment. That you influence your peers, create an atmosphere conducive to truth and honesty, and that you, under no circumstances, allow your surroundings to affect you in a negative way.
In fact, I’d argue – will in fact argue – that the following quote says it all:
“Truly great companies are built on ideals, not just deals.”
–Al Watts
Check any list of the best places to work – anywhere in the world – and I am ready to bet that you will find a company built on ideals – and a company built on ideals supports people with ideals and you get the point.
Ask yourself – does your integrity extend upwards and outwards and embrace and cajole and nudge and teach and occasionally push until you have created an unbroken chain of ideals? Or do you stay in your corner, keep your head down, and watch the deals go by?
Your call…now what do you think?
In large part, I agree – but I think this post is misleading. I don’t think that “You” have integrity or “you” don’t. You’re either IN Integrity or OUT OF Integrity. And that can change.
The way this posting is phrased, having Integrity is like an exclusive club and if you ever screw up, then you’re never going to have Integrity and you’re out of the club.
In practice, people go in and out and have varying levels. For example, someone might always be on-time to meetings, and in that aspect, they are in Integrity.
However, their relationship with their spouse is in shambles and in that area of their life, they are currently OUT of integrity. But, that can be “fixed”.
In life, you can get to higher levels of Integrity, but it has to start somewhere and making it an all or nothing proposition is going to keep most fallible humans from even trying.
I like thinking about Integrity in levels – the easiest way to start is by doing what you said you would do. Even if you don’t do it in all areas, it’s a good place to start. Just show up to meetings when you said you would be there. If you can’t make it on time, contact the people expecting you and re-commit.
People with integrity are generally admired, praised and extolled. It’s one of the most likeable characteristics of us humans!
Strikes me that if you have integrity it says everything about you that others need to know. Like some kind of uber-personality trait, the person who has integrity, can’t help but be a benchmark against which others measure themselves.
Someone said “Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do.” I’d add that it’s also what we don’t do, we don’t say and we don’t say we do.
There’s no escaping, integrity’s the window to our soul!
Dustin, integrity has nothing to do with showing up for a meeting or being in a bad marriage. Integrity is different. You can be on time for a meeting and have no integrity, and you can be going through the worst relationship in history and have lots of integrity.
Integrity is about a moral code, not punctuality. You either have it or you don’t. It’s not an exclusive club, I agree, but that’s not what David is saying. The integrity he’s talking about has to do with taking huge personal or professional risks, based on a moral code. In other words, if you will pass on a juicy deal because you don’t believe your personal gain is more important than the state of others …that’s integrity.
It’s more about honesty.
I wonder about the statement “…almost by definition integrity demands that you change your environment.” While I think it is certainly true, I’m contemplating whether the power of this statement shouldn’t be that integrity demands that your environment doesn’t change YOU.
The quote below supports both ideas well…
Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.
W. Clement Stone
http://www.kenradio.com/content/view/1795/1
see the results of the corporate survey
In the words of film maker Spike Lee,
“It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do the right thing”
I appreciated the comment made that “Integrity is about a moral code.” It certainly seems that the past few weeks have been about standing for what’s ‘right’ regardless of circumstances. The idea of ‘right’ points to a moral code. In a world that is pushing for tollerance – I think it’s only reasonable that we acknowledge that some things should be tollerated but many shouldn’t. There is indeed a moral code or absolute at some point and integrity calls for living in light or – and support of that absolute moral authority. Defining that moral code is the subject for another discussion but you get the point…
It’s easy to agree with almost all that’s been said here. But… …it seems to me a lot of people start out with good intentions and act with integrity, but many seem to hit their “use by” dates and integrity becomes a word rather than a practice. At least the US was cautious enough to deny presidents more than two terms. Some of the seven deadly sins seem to take over. Easy enough to detect after the damage is done, but how can the rot be avoided before then?
Being surrounded by careerists only, my only way to keep my integrity was to quit my job.
At some point there is an absolute — “I was only following orders” — “We didnt really know” — “everyone else was doing it” — we spent weeks in colege philosophy class on that notion — if evil is the norm does morality change? in other words does it follow the so so called norm or is it an absolute value on its own…
so if everyone cheats; or cuts corners or if yoru boss sets a poor example….
if the evil you are describing above – is the norm for going up in the system – then on the day a company collapses those will be the chorus of the wailing, who demand compensation and will find excuses and scapegoats everywhere.
Mediocrity is the enemy of excellence.
And Opportunists are always mediocre.