Integrity 101

Integrity is the property of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. A person with integrity is an individual that can be counted on to do what they say they are going to do. They are someone you can trust because they will not double-cross the people around them. A person with integrity is honest, forthright and reliable. They are not unfaithful to the commitments they make and do not take shortcuts in their business dealings or personal lives. Integrity means that you are worthy of trust because others know that you will keep your promises and conduct yourself with honesty, dignity, compassion and fairness. 

Integrity is something that is not easily explained. For example, if we give advice to someone that we believe is correct, does that make our advice credible. But what if the one we are giving the advice cannot do it? Do we have integrity at that point? Integrity does not mean what you say, but what you do. It is more about actions than words. Integrity is an important quality anyone can possess as it can help us move forward in any kind of situation. It helps us to overcome challenges, helps us set good examples, and helps us build strong relationships.

It is also important to note that integrity is not something we are born with but something that must be developed over time. We are all at different stages of development with regard to integrity and therefore, in the process of developing our integrity, we must work hard to get to a level where we are capable of making good decisions that are both right and just.

To have integrity means to have a strong sense of who you are, and a strong sense of what you stand for. For me, it's not just about honesty and fairness. It's more about having character. Having principles, values and strengths that make you who you are. I'm sure you've met people who say one thing and then do another. They tell you one thing, but their actions show that they're different people. People with integrity don't do that. They don't say one thing and then do another.

When we lead with integrity we make our lives easier because we know we're doing the right thing and we sleep soundly at night knowing that what we are doing is OK by our standards. We need heroes in life. We need positive role models who can help us to do the right things. You can be that hero or role model for someone else by showing them how you live your life with integrity and how they can do the same for themselves.

The concept of integrity is important to all of us. Businesses and organizations need people with integrity. They need people who will act honestly and fairly, without taking advantage of others. Employee's who are motivated by something other than money or benefits are more likely to act with integrity when they join or work for a business. And if they quit, they are less likely to take customers with them.

Businesses work hard to attract customers and they must work harder still to keep their customers. It makes commercial sense to give their employees the opportunity to earn income and make a living wage. I believe that honesty is the best policy.

Business is the soul of life. Business engages people in their activities, binds them to each other, gives a meaning to their life and links generations together. Business is also a field where people gain experience, develop skills and competencies, and achieve their ambitions. Successful businesses are built upon honesty, trust and transparency. The success of a business depends upon the personal integrity of its owners. Although business should be based on integrity, this is not always the case. Unfortunately, we sometimes see examples of businesses using deceptive marketing practices aimed at increasing profit at the expense of customers.

A couple of weeks ago, my sister bought an expensive phone adapter from a very popular phone store here in my country but it was fake. Unknowingly to her, the store attendant was in the business of selling is own generic products to unsuspecting customers all in a bid to make money illegally. With integrity being so important, why aren't all businesses and employees consciously trying to live with integrity? Because it takes hard work to be an honest person and keep your word when everything around you tells you not to. It's easy to take shortcuts and fudge the numbers.

If you're honest, then others will feel safe doing business with you and want to refer others to you. It's a great thing to be known for and will give your potential customers reassurance that they won't get ripped off by spending with your business.

You only get one chance at a first impression so make it a good one by being honest, straightforward and reliable at all times.

Trust is vital for any relationship and with increasing competition in all walks of life, it's hard to succeed without it. But when you're dealing with strangers from another state or country how do you build a trusting relationship? The answer is integrity. The trustworthy are more successful than the untrustworthy. They receive the greatest amount of referrals and have more repeat business. In fact, studies show that integrity is the number one trait that managers look for in a new hire.

Even though you can't see someone's integrity you can tell if they have it by the way they deal with you. Do they do what they say they will? Do they keep their word? Do they live by a clearly defined set of values? These are all signs of integrity.

"Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody's looking”