Man : High Feeling (Integrity)

Integrity

The world admires and benefits from those that do have high integrity. People will be attracted to you, be persuaded by you and willing to help you toward your ends, to do the things that you want them to do.

According to Mignon McLaughlin, “People are made of flesh and blood and a miracle fiber called courage.”

Courage comes in two forms: 
a. physical courage and 
b. moral courage. 

Physical courage is demonstrated by 
i.   acts of bravery 
ii.  risking personal harm 
in order to protect others or preserve principles that wins medals and monuments.

Moral Voice

Moral courage may seem less grandeur but important because it’s needed often. Moral courage is the engine of integrity. It is our inner voice that coaxes, prods and inspires us to meet our responsibilities and live up to our principles when doing so may cost us dearly.

It takes moral courage to be honest at the risk of ridicule, rejection or retaliation, or may jeopardize our life. Owning to our mistakes and troubling or thwarting our ambitions to the extent may cost affection to the love one. It is the critical companion during troubling times; proving strength to cope with and overcome adversity.

Moral courage is essential not only for a virtuous life, but a happy universal life. Without it, our fears and failures confining in a barbed wire fence. The voice of moral courage is always there, but sometimes it is drowned out by the drumbeat of our fears and doubts. We need to learn to listen for the voice. The more we call on it and listen to it and trust it, the stronger it becomes.

So what is Integrity?

Integrity is someone who:

·    Is honest

·    Stands up for what they believe in

·    Knows who they are

·    Is steadfast

·    Willing to make tough -- even unpopular -- decisions

·    Courageous in conflict

·    Does what they say

·    Considers what’s best for the group rather than what’s best for themselves

·    You can count on

·    Who keeps their promises

·    You can really trust to do the right thing

·    Walks their talk

Integrity is a concept of consistency of our actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty  and truthfulness  or  precision of one's actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy.

The word "integrity" stems from the Latin adjective integer (whole, complete). Integrity is the inner sense of man "wholeness" from quality of man such as honesty  and the consistency of character.  Judging others of “having integrity" to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold.

Value of Integrity

Integrity is human most important quality or core value that will enhance every part of a successful and happy life. Having integrity means the commitment in life to become a totally honest person and truthful in every part of your life.

         It is a value, like persistence, courage, and intelligence. A values that form your character and personality and enhances all your other values. The quality of a person is determined by how well you live up to the values that are most important to you. Integrity is the quality that locks in your values and causes you to live consistently with them.

       Integrity is the foundation of character. A person of integrity has an unblemished character in every area of his or her life. Engaging and developing your character. The best ways to develop your character is by consistently doing the same things that a thoroughly honest person would do in every area of his or her life.

To be totally honest with others, you first have to be totally honest with yourself. You have to be true to yourself, to be true to the very best that is in you. Only a person who is consistently living a life with the highest values and virtues is a person truly living a life of integrity. If you are always honest and true to yourself you cannot be false to anyone else.

The Universal Law of Attraction says that you inevitably will attract into your life the people and circumstances that are in harmony with your dominant thoughts and values. This means that everything in your life will have attracted due to the person you are.

        Your integrity is manifested in your willingness to adhere to the values that are most important to you. It's easy to make promises but often very hard to keep them. But every time you keep a promise that you've made, it is an act of integrity, which in turn strengthens your character. As you act with integrity in everything you do, you will find that every part of your life will improve. You will begin to attract the best people and situations into your life. You will become an outstanding person as well as a success in everything you do.

Personal integrity is the quality of being honest with yourself and others, and living a life that is aligned with your moral principles. Developing personal integrity requires examining your beliefs and value system, and taking conscious steps to behave in ways that are consistent with your personal moral code.

Ways to develop personal integrity.

a.      Start first with you.

What do you believe in? What do you believe is right and wrong? What is meaningful to you? These values and beliefs form the foundation for our thoughts, which are expressed in our words, our attitudes and ultimately in our actions. Take time to write down the beliefs that drive you, those personal values that you care enough about to cause you to speak out and take action. If you don’t know where you stand, others will tell you, which make you vulnerable to mistakes -- like the oil rig manager.

b.     Identify behavior that requires change.

Introspection your interactions with others in the workplace, at home and in social situations to determine specific areas in need of improvement. Continuously late for work: feel guilty about creating excuses for this behavior, an opportunity to develop greater personal integrity.

c.      Determine reasons for not being with integrity.

Inability to do an unpleasant task assigned to you, but you relinquished to others. For fear to admit to yourself or to your boss that you do not possess the right skills or that the job is not the right fit for you.

d.     Make time to reflect on your actions.

Go for a walk. Ride a bike. Exercise away from the TV or iPod. Practice yoga or Tai Chi. Meditate. Wash a ton of dishes. Chop some wood. Paint a wall. Do any activity that will give your mind a break from the incessant thought feed. 

      The challenge is to actually stop list-making, day-dreaming, fantasizing about the future or replaying something from the past while doing these activities. This is about being in the present moment. It is during these deliberate incubation periods that our struggles with integrity to our cherished values tend to naturally show up. As Herbert Benson says in his book “The Breakout Principle,” this is also where our best ideas for complex unsolved problems often emerge. Write down what you discover about yourself or share it with a partner or friend to give it greater stickiness.

e.     Face the obstacles.

Finding a more suitable job, facing your fears about how others may perceive you and/or seeking out counseling to address emotional challenges and insecurities.

f.       Ask others for feedback.

Ask people you trust to give you honest feedback. Surround yourself with “integrinators,” people who will call you on behaviors and verbalizations inconsistent with your stated beliefs. Ask your boss, peers and direct reports for an Innovation Leader audit, a 360 assessment about your integrity, curiosity, courage, tenacity, and humility. Great leaders ask for feedback often and act on it (without rationalization).

g.      Practice truthfulness.

Consider all of the relationships and repercussion at home and work that will benefit from greater truthfulness. Managing a team of employees be honest and direct with each individual about your expectations and employee performance. Avoid backbiting or gossiping.

Refrain from causing harm. Part of developing personal integrity is gauging when and how to deliver the truth. Be careful not to confuse truthfulness with anger-driven and brutally honest confrontation.

h.     Make a list of tasks to become more trustworthy.

The list might range from basic tasks, such as taking out the trash as promised to repaying large sums of money in a timely manner.

i.        Respect the property of others.

Empathize and feel guilty about using another person's belongings, parking in someone else's parking spot or littering on another person's property. Make a concerted effort to respect other people's belongings.

j.        Listen to and respect the opinions and decisions of others.

Part of possessing personal integrity is acknowledging the human rights of others. Respecting diverse thoughts and decisions is a sign of open-mindedness and integrity.

k.      Help others in need.

Contribute to the development of others or help them to do something they cannot accomplish on their own, make an effort to assist. It will benefit you and the benefactor.

l.        Assess your progress.

Developing personal integrity is a trial and error process that requires persistent effort. Gauge yourself on a daily or weekly basis if you are making progress.

m.   Enlist the help of others.

Colleagues, relatives and friends who know you well and have your best interest at heart can assist your progress by providing objective feedback on a daily basis about the personal changes you are making.

The Golden Rule

 “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” But what if someone doesn’t want what you want?

Perhaps trade up to Tony Alessandra’s Platinum Rule, “do unto others as they would have you do unto them,” which puts the other person first.
 

Extract and excerpt with thanks from:

©2004 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc.

© 2004/2006 Stan Mann

MICHAEL JOSEPHSON