Integrity in the workplace matters, doesn’t it! In fact, integrity is often viewed as one of the most important and highly sought after characteristics of both employees and employers. A recent global survey by Ernst and Young found that 97% of respondents agree that integrity is a vital foundation for any business. Our personal integrity is crucial, as former Senator Alan Simpson famously said, “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.” Business icon Warren Buffett expressed similar sentiments when he said, “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”
What is integrity? At its core, our personal integrity is the consistent adherence to reasoned moral and ethical principles. Integrity is the foundation upon which all other virtues and values rest. A simple definition of integrity that has inspired me comes from C.S. Lewis who wrote, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” There are important benefits that come from practicing integrity, including:
Builds Trust. Trust is valuable in business and life. Trust cannot be bought; it must be earned through consistent integrity.
Strengthens Our Reputation and Increases Our Influence. Integrity increases our influence, and influence is the core of what leadership is about according to the top experts like John Maxwell, Stephen Covey, and Jon Gordon. Integrity also protects our reputation from the tremendous damage that comes from unethical behavior or scandal as we have all seem far too often (remember the Coldplay concert event earlier this year?). I appreciate the warning from Warren Buffett, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about, you’ll do things differently.”
Sets a Positive Example. There is a concept called “shadow the leader” that I was taught and really resonates with me. People around us, including those on our teams, are constantly watching us and drawing conclusions about what really matters to us and what are acceptable attitudes, behaviors, and values. Leaders set the tone and have a huge influence on our teams. Are you (and me) setting positive examples worth emulating?
Improve Performance. When we and our teams are consistently acting with integrity, we will perform at a higher level, especially in the long term. And our customers and business partners will want to do business with us, which has potential financial rewards.
Principles to Cultivate Integrity
1)Make a personal commitment to being a person of integrity. The starting place for living a life of integrity is to make a conscious choice and commitment to prioritizing integrity. R. Buckminster Fuller advised, “Integrity is the essence of everything successful.” President Dwight Eisenhower shared similar advice when he said, “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it no real success is possible.” Do you want to be more successful in business and life? Let’s start with being people of integrity.
2)Lead by example. Leaders with integrity lead by example, living out the values and behaviors we want to see in others. I appreciate this quote from motivational speaker Nick Vujicic, “If you want to influence others, the most important thing you can do is be a living example of the principles, ideals, and faith that you advocate.” One important value to lead by example is accountability. Accountability is about taking responsibility for our words, actions, faults, and decisions and admitting mistakes when they happen. Philip Johnson said, “Admitting one’s own faults is the first step to changing them, and it is a demonstration of true bravery and integrity.” We also want to keep our promises and commitments and practice the principle explained by this quote from Lou Holtz, “Don’t ever promise more than you can deliver, but always try to deliver more than you promise.”
3)Put organizational interests above personal ambitions. I played team sports growing up and am a fan of several teams now. The most successful sports teams model the members, including the leaders and best players, putting team interests above their own ambitions. The analogy to the business world is obvious and people of integrity put the organization (team) first.
4)Set clear values. It is important for us to have a clear set of personal values that we aspire to follow. One of the classes I sometimes teach is Business Ethics. One of the assignments is naming the top five to 10 values that the student ascribes to. Being clear on our personal values is especially helpful when we meet the “grey areas” that come our way. In addition to clarifying our personal values, having formalized team values is needed for clarity and setting of expectations. When setting up team values, receiving input from all team members is important to get a true buy-in and a higher quality product.
5)Stay humble and regularly reflect. Integrity isn’t about perfection but about humility and willingness to admit our shortcomings and have a willingness to improve. We can receive help from seeking honest feedback from trusted friends, colleagues, and mentors. And we can grow and improve ourselves when we regularly take time to reflect on our experiences. Keep in mind that “reflected experience is the best teacher”.
6)Model and promote honesty and transparency. Honesty is the bedrock of integrity. Thomas Jefferson spoke to the importance of honesty by saying, “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” We act with integrity when we are truthful in our communications and actions. This includes avoiding misleading statements, half-truths, and deception. Transparency is also important and involves openness and clarity in all our dealings. This includes being upfront about our intentions, expectations, and owning up to errors.
7)Practice fairness, grace, and respect. Fairness is a critical part of integrity. Fairness includes treating all people with impartiality and respect. This means respecting diversity, honoring commitments, and ensuring fair treatment in all our work and personal dealings. Showing grace to others is also important. Grace includes giving people the benefit of doubt and cutting a person slack when they are having a bad day (and we all have the occasional bad days!). I suggest following the Golden Rule (treating a person positively just like we want to be treated positively) and following the Biblical principle of “Loving our neighbors (others) as we do ourselves” are helpful guidelines.
8)Resist allure of expediency. We can face the temptation to bend rules, compromise values, or take shortcuts to achieve short-term goals. People of integrity avoid the temptation of expediency and think about long-term outcomes we want for ourselves and our teams.
9)Provide on-going training and encouragement. Sometimes our organizations have ethics training programs we can use with our teams. There are also training options we can pursue provided by third parties. In addition to formal training, periodically discussing with our teams the importance of acting ethically and with integrity with all our stakeholders is valuable.
10)Reward and reinforce integrity. We can reward and reinforce when we see people acting with integrity – especially when it’s done in challenging circumstances. Reinforcement can take different forms. Often the best reward is simply to express verbal appreciation (we all like to hear appreciation, don’t we!). Sometimes we can go further: written notes, comments in performance appraisals, tangible rewards like food, certificates of appreciation, gift cards, and anything else that a person or team finds meaningful.
Concluding thoughts: Our personal integrity matters. It matters for us and the teams and others we deal with – we set the tone for the people we influence. At the end of the day, we must live with ourselves and our own conscience. Here is a final quote from Charles Evans Hughes, “A man (or woman) has to live with himself, and he should see to it that he always has good company.” Integrity – don’t leave home without it!
Wes Friesen is a proven leader and developer of high performing teams and has extensive experience in both the corporate and non-profit worlds. He is also an award winning university instructor and speaker, and is the President of Solomon Training and Development, which provides leadership, management and team building training. He serves as the Industry Co-Chair of the Greater Portland PCC. His book, Your Team Can Soar! has 42 valuable lessons that will inspire you, and give you practical pointers to help you — and your team — soar to new heights of performance. Your Team Can Soar! can be ordered from Xulonpress.com/bookstore or wesfriesen.com (under Book) or an online retailer. Wes can be contacted at wesmfriesen@gmail.com or at 971-806-0812.
This article originally appeared in the November/December, 2025 issue of Mailing Systems Technology.
