Integrity

I think I'll write a little about integrity tonight. We had the lesson today and it inspired me.

Gandhi once said (with some help from Keshavan Nair in A Higher Standard of Leadership, p 1) about integrity and leadership...

"Today, many people believe that it is not possible to be successful in the world of business and politics and still to maintain one's integrity - integrity not defined by absence of financial corruption, but by adherence to moral principle in all activities. Many have also come to believe that a major purpose of leadership is to aquire power and privilege. And many believe that practical political and business decisions would be less effective if serious consideration were given to moral issues.

The standard of leadership depends not only on the qualities and beliefs of our leaders but also on the expectations we have of them. As long as we believe that our leaders lack integrity, our expectations are likely to be mirrored in their conduct. Therefore, it is up to each of us to improve our own standard of leadership and thus raise our expectations of those who would lead us."

I love the last line of that statement, it is up to US to expect better things of ourselves and in turn we will expect those things from our leaders. If we allow our leaders to act selfishly, what does that say of ourselves? Are we selfish? Are we demanding the things that we think we deserve?

I've heard many times that my generation is the greatest generation that has ever existed. But I have also heard that my generation and the up and coming generation is the generation of "entitlement". Did we not learn from the experiences of our forefathers? What they fought for in each of the wars of our nation and world? How quickly we forget where we came from and what our real purpose is.

What happened to kindness and an honest day's work? The older I get the more I understand that what we are fighting for in any war isn't necessarily oil, or belongings or religion...it's more fighting for moral values. Moral values that we know deep down to be important.

I am a woman of faith. Not everyone in the world holds my same values. But one thing that is understood beyond boundaries of God and belief in a higher power is the moral principle of LOVE. Love overcomes all barriers. Love gives us a purpose to live for. Love helps us understand the other side of a viewpoint. It defines who we are.

Actions do reflect leadership. What kind of leaders are we? How are we influencing the next generation? Do we stand for what we believe in? Or do we help them along the path of entitlement? In business are we honest with whom we do business with? Do we trust our coworkers and managers?

We still have a choice. We can choose our attitude. We can be honest in our dealings with our fellow men. We can put in that hard day's work. We can expect the best from each other. And we can expect the best of ourselves. A selfish person would be content looking into a mirror for eternity. I would rather be a person that looks through a window and see what beautiful things are beyond the glass.

Change is never easy. Changing character is a lifetime pursuit. Love changes hearts. As it says in the scriptures, "love casteth out all fear". What keeps us from change? Is it the height of the mountain before us that causes us to move aside and say, "oh man, I'm out of shape, there's no way I can make it up that hill."

I suggest: begin believing in yourself. Be the leader, mother, father, friend, spouse, employee, etc. that you would like others to be. "It is not easy to stay on the path; we all need assistance. It is important that we associate with colleagues who share our commitment to be on the path."(p 30) Find those people that support you, love you, and trust you. Believe in them. And whatever or whomever you believe in, be it God, Budda, etc. Believe that you can achieve. That you can change. And never give up the fight. Through your integrity people will have the strength to follow. Real achievement isn't medals, acknowledgements, awards, money, etc. Achievement is integrity. Having that strength to stand up for what you believe and being honest.

I challenge all of us to become better people. Through change and improvement we will achieve our greatest goals.