The foundation of integrity

Integrity is the foundation upon which all other personal qualities are built.  Things like respect, dignity, trust…these are all results of a strong sense of personal integrity.  According to John Maxwell in his book Becoming a Person of Influence, “Integrity commits itself to character over personal gain, to people over things, to service over power, to principle over convenience, to the long view over the immediate.”

According to Webster’s Dictionary, integrity is, “a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.”  Another definition describes the word as meaning, “the quality or state of being complete or undivided.”

In The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner assert that “A leader with integrity has one self, at home and at work, with family and colleagues.  He or she has a unifying set of values that guide choices of action regardless of the situation.”

Imagine a team where members understand the importance of being whole and undivided regarding the mission and goals of the organization.  

Imagine a team where each individual member did what was right, simply because it was the right thing to do, and not because of some external motivating factor.

The reality is that organizational members that claim to be a part of the team but regularly operate without integrity are just putting on an act. Believability and credibility, qualities that are ever present in team members most would consider “successful”, develops when behavior is consistent with actions. They are, in a word, undivided.  

Trust becomes an outgrowth of individuals acting with a sense of integrity day in and day out.  

And a team culture where integrity is expected and inspected is a special place. Cultural expectations like this begin with integral leaders.

Are you someone that can be characterized as having “one self” in all areas of your life?  

Can others count on your word…to say what you mean and do what you say?  

Is “consistency of action” a phrase that others use to describe you, or are your “walk” and your “talk” confusing people because they don’t match?

My friends, these are the hard questions.  Integrity is a major part of every successful team.  United in heart and action, winning teams seek the prize of integrity before anything else.  It is through this kind of intentional culture that trust and teamwork grow.  It is through this avenue that we experience a compassionate sense of direction together, working as a team to achieve our personal and professional goals.

Integrity matters!  As leaders, we have a responsibility to both expect and inspect decision making that keeps it front-and-center at all times.  

Challenging words, indeed!