Integrity – What Does It Mean and Do I Have It?

#integrity #leadership #values #leadershipqualities

Integrity. It’s a big word. It’s a big idea. But what does it mean? I remember years ago for some college or graduate school course I had to come up with a personal mission statement. Almost immediately I wrote as part of it, “to live my life with integrity.” Here I am years later still pondering all that involves, how to stay true to it, and if I’ve been successful.

To me integrity is about doing the right thing even when no one is looking. That includes staying true to what is right even when things get difficult. I think integrity also means thinking bigger than and beyond oneself. As I stated in my book, Building Together: Collaborative Leadership in Early Childhood Systems, “integrity is about knowing the greater goal is more important than self-interests and acknowledging that others may have the best ideas” (Stewart, 2019, p.15).

But integrity is more than that. It’s about humility and humbleness. It’s knowing that some things are important and worth fighting or working hard for. It’s a dedication to what is right and having an unwavering sense of values. It requires a strong sense of self, and maybe a selflessness to maintain the best of intentions through it all.

And I think integrity is an important quality of effective leaders. As I state in my book, “Integrity is critical to quality leadership while building systems. For systems-building work to truly occur, leaders must always hold out the potential of what could be above all individual and organizational self-interests” (p. 15).

Do I do this? A lot of the time, yes. It’s hard to do all the time. I do strive to always hold out the bigger vision and put that ahead of self-interests, but I also have to have the best interests of me and my family or my organization in mind at times. I think at work and at home, where I’m confident in my values and know what is right, it feels easier to continue to live my life with integrity.

I sometimes wonder if I could be like those people I read about, such as those who risked their lives to take in people during the Holocaust, or those who risk so much to stand or speak up for others in the face of injustice. Could I do that? Would I do that? I’d like to think yes.

What about you?