“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”

C.S. Lewis

You know the right thing to do, but are you doing it?

If no, why aren’t you doing it?

Maybe it’s because no one is watching. Or perhaps it’s because you were never clear on what’s ‘right’ for you in the first place.

The road to character is building integrity. You know that strong, moral person you admire. They follow through and do what they say, regardless of who is watching.

Sometimes it feels like we are in a confused, conflicted and selfish world. It can feel like we are a flower blowing in the wind. Sometimes our workplaces may force us to compromise our values. This doesn’t feel right. But every now and then, a leader stands out with integrity. Isn’t it a pleasant surprise when you experience a flash of this brilliance? We know we can rely on them. We can trust them. They have our backs.

What is integrity?

Integrity is a strong word. We like to proclaim we have integrity, but do we know what it means, and have we thought deeply beyond the word?

“Integrity: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.”

Cambridge Dictionary

Integrity is a combination of:

• Telling the truth and not lying.
• Able to be trusted and not cheating others.
• Having strong morals, ethical principles and values.
• Being consistent and uncompromising in all of the above.

We generally have a good sense of telling the truth and building trust, but many of us aren’t totally clear on our principles and values. Often we may not realise our values until we compromise them, and we feel the cognitive dissonance and flood of negative emotion. It doesn’t feel right. We have just been told from our subconscious what we value.

To cultivate integrity, it can help to get clear on what our principles and values are. Once we know, then we can consistently act with integrity. That feels right.

Reflection

What are my principles, and what do I value?

Where have I compromised them in the past?

How can I act with integrity today?