Integrity Matters
Merriam-Webster says this:
Definition of integrity
1: Firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values: INCORRUPTIBILITY
2: An unimpaired condition: SOUNDNESS
3: The quality or state of being complete or undivided: COMPLETENESS
The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. Dwight D. Eisenhower
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively. Bob Marley
Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity set the expectations for behavior; they set a standard for our work. More than just a motto, for the men and women of the FBI, Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity is a way of life. Robert Mueller
Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. Samuel Johnson
If humanity does not opt for integrity, we are through completely. It is absolutely touch and go. Each one of us could make the difference. R. Buckminster Fuller
The issue of integrity is much on my mind this morning and here is why. I have seen people who lead, lead with integrity. And I have seen people who try to lead without integrity, fail abysmally. I am unclear that anyone can cite examples of people who eventually (key word) succeed, do so without integrity. Is it cheating to suggest that sooner or later frauds fail? Is it cheating to say that people of integrity eventually win? It may be since to conveniently set the timeframe of definition might be able to alter any outcome. I am forced to admit that sometimes people work so hard to prove to themselves that right beats might that they say that they (the purveyors of right) will get their rewards in this world or the next. I wouldn’t be surprised that it is this very thinking and rationalization that gave rise to the afterlife in faith.
If that is even a bit so, maybe we should equate integrity with faith. You will notice that I fastidiously avoid a direct religious connotation since I do not tend towards organized religion and do not in any way connect religion to integrity. Please don’t take any religious intention to anything I ever write. I do write about “moral or artistic values”, but I must allow those thoughts to stand apart from anything organized and dogmatized.
I am listening to Mr. Trump, our stable genius in the White House, say and do anything to prove himself right and to get himself re-elected and keep himself out of jail. I am way beyond any doubt that history will make it abundantly clear that this corrupt, unsound and incomplete person will be shown to be the sort of non-leader and fraud that at least 54% of the nation already knows him to be. The 38% that cling to his doctored videos of Nancy Pelosi stuttering as evidence that he is superior to her will be the dogs that tear him apart the most when the shit finally hits the fan.
When you parse the Merriam-Webster definition of integrity and keep Trump in the forefront of your mind as you read, you can do nothing but say there is none of that definition which applies to him.
I did not start writing this to talk about Trump, but the juxtapositioning of leadership and integrity combined with Morning Joe makes that topic hard to avoid. What I wanted to talk about is my own leadership situations. I have come to moments of truth in my leadership roles repeatedly. Telling the truth and being righteous regardless of the personal costs is just a part of the job. In fact, it may BE the job.
A wise leader once taught me that leaders (in this case CEO’s) probably only made a handful of important decisions during their tenure. The rest of the decisions were mostly irrelevant. While I think there is truth to that sentiment when looked at in respect to the overall strategic direction of the organization being led, I wonder about the irrelevance of the small decisions. I think Trump’s toughness with China is important and directionally correct (I would challenge him on many of his idiotic tactics and the way he is trying to achieve his goals). If that is one of his handful of big issues, I agree with the primacy concept. But what I cannot buy into is that the means are justified by the end. This is the moral issue which underlies much of ethics.
It matters how you do things and, in some ways, every little decision and utterance from a leader are important because they set a moral tone. That tone sets the stage for integrity and therefore, good leadership. It all matters. That’s the real truth of leadership.
Now that I have once again convinced myself that Trump is not fit for leadership of a dingy much less the ship of state, how does this apply to me? Every day in my leadership role I see people who make commitments and then turn around and deny them. Its as plain as the nose on your face. There is nothing hidden about them. They are rationalized and attempted to be justified, but they are broken commitments and “renegs” plain and simple. I hate them. They disgust me. It would be so much easier to have integrity and stand for what you have said, just like it is easier to admit your failings and apologize when you err. It is constantly amazing to me how some people are programmed to say anything and do anything to avoid those realities. I want to slap them and remind them that they are hurting themselves far more than their counterparties. Alas, they are rarely convinced.
I will continue to strive for integrity in all my dealings for the simplest reason I can imagine. It is easier and better.