What Does Integrity Mean?

we're going to answer the question what is integrity and as usual i'll look at this from the standpoint of leadership so let's get into it [Music] after looking into this a bit integrity has two parts and the first way is the way most of us understand it part a is the quality of being honest having strong moral principles moral uprightness this is about honesty good character and being trustworthy this aspect of integrity usually becomes visible when we are honest tell the truth and have good character in difficult situations the second part is even more interesting to me part b is the state of being whole and undivided this is about our internal unity and coherence in other words if you've ever been conflicted about your actions and decisions and thoughts when it came to your beliefs and morals that may be a signal that you're not feeling whole and undivided inside if you feel confused or torn about where you stand that's another signal that you have some internal unity and coherence issues you haven't settled it yet and really the presence or absence of integrity on the inside like this is where it starts our inner world drives our outward actions so let's dig deeper into this and we'll start on the inside first and foremost integrity is an internal quality that people possess that others may not see as nelson mandela once said the first thing is to be honest with yourself this is a prerequisite to integrity people who can't do an honest self-reflection are going to get stuck and it will be hard for them to grow and mature i can't remember where i first heard this example but i was once reading about a guy who made a personal commitment to not ever take anything that wasn't his no matter how valuable it was even if no one was watching so i believe the example he used was well what if one day he was walking down an empty beach and he saw a rolex watch in the sand he said he wouldn't pick it up that's an example of internal unity and coherence nobody's watching and he's not rationalizing or fooling himself so that he somehow gets to keep that rolex watch he knows who he is and what he's made of and he's not going to take something that's not his i just read the other day about an employee at a goodwill location who found 42 000 in cash that was wrapped up in some donated sweaters as the employee was sorting through the donated clothes she felt what she thought was a book inside the clothing when she opened it up she saw these massive stacks of cash but she didn't hesitate she instantly told her manager and they tracked down the person who donated those clothes and they returned the money in an interview she said it would never have occurred to her to keep the money i'm sure it felt great for her to know who she was it feels freeing and powerful to have that internal consistency rather than rationalizing and wrestling with moral decisions and it's really easy to admire her because her moral compass was whole and undivided and by the way in return the person who donated the clothes gave her a thousand dollars as a gift for being honest but she didn't know that that was going to happen ahead of time oprah winfrey once repeated an old-fashioned sentiment that i agree with she said real integrity is doing the right thing knowing that nobody is going to know whether or not you did it that's integrity second as an extension of what we've said other people may or may not eventually notice your integrity on the outside and when they notice it could help you but it could also cost you nikki gumbel is an english anglican priest but he started out as a lawyer and he tells lots of stories about the old days as a lawyer one story he tells is about another lawyer he knows in england and one day this young mid-level lawyer was in an office with the boss the top partner at the firm the phone rang and as the young lawyer reached for it the boss said to him if that's for me tell them i'm not here so the young lawyer answered the phone and he said yes he's here just a moment and he handed the phone to his boss his boss glared at him face turned red he took the phone had a brief conversation and he hung up and he turned and was about to tear into that young lawyer but the young lawyer spoke first he said to his boss i will never lie for you and i will never lie to you that's integrity his integrity is being tested and some people might say well it's just a a little white lie but a person with a strong internal commitment to honesty won't do that and the boss by the way was so impressed that he put that young lawyer in charge of lots of important cases and even asked him to be his personal attorney but the key here is that the young leader didn't know that it would work out like that he was sticking his neck out there and it could have cost him and even in the best of cases it may take a long time before anybody recognizes that you have integrity because it's mainly on the inside and only gets publicly tested in really visible ways a small percentage of the time but we don't strive to have integrity to impress others we do it because can you guess say it with me it's the right thing to do here are a few practical takeaways integrity is a choice it's a commitment that you make to be honest trustworthy and base your life and decisions on good morals integrity often means doing the right thing even if it means putting your own benefits at risk question of the day do you know anybody personally that has integrity share your examples below i would love to read them until next time god bless and i will see you soon

Channel: Communication Coach Alexander Lyon

Views: 147,411

Keywords: communication training, leadership skills, communication skills, presentation skills, communication coach, Alex Lyon, what is integrity, what does integrity mean, what is integrity in ethics, integrity examples, integrity meaning, integrity definition

Id: jlzBGSVW1lI

Length: 6min 36sec (396 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 15 2021