Spiritual Foundations of Leadershipনমুনা

Integrity in Leadership

Integrity is to be coherent and complete. The American Heritage Dictionary defines integrity as a firm adherence to a strict moral or ethical code; the state of remaining unharmed; solidity or the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; totality. Integrity comes from the Latin word integer, which means whole or complete, incorruptible, moral rectitude, and honesty. The opposite of the man of integrity is the ambiguous, fickle man, without deep convictions, whom the Bible defines as "the double-minded man," who "is unstable in all his ways."

We can acknowledge integrity when our conduct is totally consistent with the convictions we express. Integrity means congruence between thought, emotion, will, and action. A person is whole when he is an integrated whole–complete, whose undivided character is reflected in all areas of his life: moral, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical. A person of integrity is one who is all that he ought to be. Nothing that constitutes a trustworthy person is missing. Integrity also describes a person without hypocrisy or duplicity. Integrity is not innate; it is not something we have by nature, and it does not flourish in isolation. It is an attribute that we must learn and develop through interaction with others. Integrity is a virtue that we come to have by committing ourselves to certain values in our daily lives. Integrity is interactive integrality and coherence before God and man.

Reflection:

• In what areas of your leadership do you find it most challenging to maintain integrity and consistency between your beliefs, words, and actions?
• What practical steps can you take to strengthen your integrity in those areas?