Integrity

We've all heard about "integrity". I actually, think we probably hear "too much" about integrity. We are told to "live with integrity". Many schools (especially in business in the wake of the Enron scandal) require students to promise that they will "hold themselves to the highest standards of integrity". Students are left to the conclusion that this probably means "don't do bad stuff" (cheating, plagiarism, and etc...)

Quite often though, in a display of extremely poor leadership, some smart-ass will point out that integrity is the property of "oneness", and that as long as you believe it is morally acceptable to lie, cheat and steal, you can still have rock solid integrity.

This kind of thinking is not only immature, but also potentially dangerous. Can you imagine the world that we might live in? Leaders claiming to be examples of integrity truly believing that as long as their actions aligned with their own twisted moral code (and that they wouldn't get caught), that they could get away with anything? It's not exactly the kind of place I want to live in either.

Though I do agree that integrity does in fact mean the property of "oneness", I take this in a much broader, and I believe 'truer' sense. I take integrity to mean something more like "the oneness of expectations and behaviors". This leads to something more along the lines of the "Golden Rule". No, not "the ones who have the gold make the rules", but "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

This is a simple yet powerful message that Young Leaders need to take to heart. If you have the reputation of having integrity of expectations and behavior, others will take notice. People will want to work for you, knowing that you will treat them fairly, and others will learn to treat you fairly, knowing that you expect to be treated as such.

So when was the last time you aligned yourself to your moral compass? Maybe it's about time to think about what you value in a leader (and in just a person) and to try to live up to that standard. And as always thanks for reading!

-Jason