Integrity on the Job

On Practicing Honesty and Integrity at Work

The last time I published an article on the blog it was about getting promoted or “moving up” at work. I’ve come to realize that there is one thing that I neglected to mention that can set you apart from the rest. Integrity. The Oxford Dictionary defines integrity as, “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” Or “the state of being whole and undivided.”

We all know what it takes to have integrity but why am I writing about it and what does it have to do with work?

Being honest at work can sometimes be a challenge. There are so many temptations and ways you can bend the truth to make yourself look good and make others look bad. Mark my words, that type of person doesn’t always make it far in the business world.

Yeah, sure there are some extreme examples of liars and cheaters making their way to the top. Eventually though, karma will come around and bring them all the way back to the bottom where they belong. Remember Enron? Perfect example.

Think back in your life and try to remember someone you have met who had integrity. What is your opinion of that person? Do you look up to someone like that? How do you think they got integrity in the first place?

I believe that you can have integrity just by choosing to have it. You have to make a life decision and make a promise to yourself that from this point on you will tell the truth. Once you have committed to being honest people will notice a difference. They will see something in you they didn’t before. Just like you saw something different in that person from your past who you looked up to.

Deciding to be honest doesn’t just apply to your job or between certain hours of the day. Integrity is a lifestyle change. It is something that you have to live all day every day. It’s not a hat you can take off and leave at home. It’s a surgically implanted wig, it stays with you wherever you go.

Having integrity is becoming more and more rare. It seems like the whole world is becoming lax and careless about moral values and having personal standards. Believe me if you are a person of integrity people are going to notice. After integrity comes trust. When your manager has a special project that needs to be done who will they go to? Joe the liar and cheat or you, the honest Abe?