Let's Be Honest About Integrity

Integrity seems to be one of those things that we think about mainly when it is glaringly absent. Brian Williams' representation of the news has certainly pushed the topic into the public consciousness and the workplace. Have you ever encountered someone lacking integrity? I have. Sometimes it’s the salesperson that oversells or is over eager and just tells you what you want to hear. Sometimes it’s the guy who tells the best stories but no one believes him because they are always exaggerated. The lack of integrity makes me question working with someone. But why? Haven’t we all overpromised, or knowingly or unknowingly misrepresented the full truth even just a little? I fear that my negative response to other people’s lack of integrity is more about my fear of losing my own integrity.I strive for authenticity in my business, my employees, and myself in order to build trust for a better business. So the question then becomes for me, how do I authentically deal with integrity - both theirs and mine? Here are a few things I do to try to build integrity.- I prioritize it. Early on, I realized that integrity and trust were things that I valued. It’s a point of differentiation for myself and my business, so I make it one of the top things I make decisions around.- Face up to weakness. I’m not perfect; in fact, I’m far from it. But, I’m always striving to improve. One step is, I kept track of areas that trusted people have provided me feedback on for improvement. I also make it a habit to ask associates, “Are there ways that I can improve?” This helps me recognize and understand my weaknesses as they surface in other areas to change (evolve), and feel comfortable asking for help and building anew.- Right the wrongs. One of the biggest challenges is to go back and correct a wrong. Maybe, no one will notice. That’s very chance. Correcting a small mistake is much easier than cleaning up a larger, expanding one. It’s difficult at the moment to have faith in this step, but it has never failed me yet.- Be open to growing. Without a willingness to grow, the previous three are not achievable. By acknowledging that I am a work in progress, I am able to build greater integrity by giving myself grace and forgiveness for mistakes but not hide behind excuses. I embrace the challenges of growth. You may have questioned the importance of integrity, or just not thought about it at all. But, as the Brian Williams episode has shown: integrity matters, it’s important to our society and it takes constant dedication to make it grow.