Do you know what integrity is? Grameds may often hear the word integrity as an action, behavior or attitude that a person needs to have in the world of work or life principles. Simply put, integrity is honesty which is a principle and is always adhered to.
What is Integrity?
Integrity is one of the most important qualities a leader must have. Integrity is a concept related to behavior, values, methods, means, principles, expectations, and the integration of various results. People who have integrity means having an honest and strong personality. Integrity itself comes from the Latin word “integrate” which means the following:
- A firm attitude of not wanting corruption, sticking to principles, and being the basis for relating to oneself as a moral value
- Qualities, traits, or conditions that indicate a unified whole have the potential and ability to radiate authority, authority, and honesty
Honesty in this case is not just talk, sweetening rhetoric, but also action. If it starts with honesty, credibility and many other noble qualities, then these are the characters that leaders really need now and forever. This great character will of course lead to the human being chosen by Al Mustafa Muhammad SAW as the perfecter of human character.
One form of personal integration is to appear confident and elegant and not be easily influenced by something just to get through momentary excitement or pleasure. A sincere person is more successful when they are a leader, whether formal or informal.
Dr. Kenneth Boa, president of Reflection Ministries in Atlanta, describes integrity as the opposite of hypocrisy. He says a hypocrite is less qualified to lead others than his higher personality. Honesty is necessary for everyone, not just leaders, but those being guided. People want assurance that their leaders can be trusted to follow them.
Grameds definitely believes that leaders must take the interests of each team member seriously and leaders must trust that their team members take their responsibilities seriously. Managers and leaders alike want to know that they keep their promises and never lose sight of that commitment.
People who live in good faith are willing or unable to break the trust of those who trust them. It is a sign of integrity to take responsibility even when the person feels uncomfortable saying so.
Integrity is more related to the “heart”, the ability to exercise conscience, including honesty, sincerity and dedication. Integrity is built on three key elements, namely leadership values, coherence and commitment. These values are the guidelines managers need in the field.
This integrity becomes stronger when a leader is consistent between what he says and what he does (walks his talk) and is committed to it. Without integrity, we will lose trust because others avoid us to avoid disappointment. integrity is the practice of being honest and demonstrating consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong principles, moral values and ethics.
Integrity is unchanging and unwavering in supporting one’s noble values and beliefs. Another definition of what integrity is is a concept related to the coherence between behavior and values and principles. In ethics, integrity is defined as honesty and accuracy or appropriateness of one’s actions. The opposite of integrity is hypocrisy (hypocrisy).
When people’s actions are consistent with the values, beliefs, and principles they preach, they are said to have integrity. Simply put, the quality of a sincere person is only shown by words and actions, not by those who cannot keep their words. A sincere person is not someone who has many faces and appearances tailored to his personal motivations and interests.
Integrity is an important personality for leaders. Sincere managers win the trust of employees. Sincere managers are trusted because what they say is what they do. To understand what integrity is more broadly, Grameds can also pay attention to the definition of integrity according to the following experts:
- According to Henry Cloud, integrity is a person who is fully integrated in every part of himself, works well, and cannot be separated from carrying out functions according to what was previously designed. Integrity is closely related to a person’s wholeness and effectiveness as a person.
- According to the Big Indonesian Dictionary, the term integrity is a complete unity of qualities, traits and conditions with the potential and ability to radiate authority and integrity.
- According to Ippho Santosa, integrity is often defined as a combination of thoughts, words and actions that create reputation and trust. If we refer to the origin of the word, the word perfection means speaking completely and completely.
- According to Andreas Harefa, integrity is three keys that can be observed. It’s about showing honesty, fulfilling obligations, and doing things consistently.
- Stephen R. Covey distinguishes between integrity and honesty. “honesty is telling the truth, in other words, conforming our words reality-integrity is conforming to our words, in other words, keeping promises and fulfilling expectations.” Honesty means telling the truth, and our words correspond to reality. Honesty proves that what he does is what he says. People who have integrity and honesty are independent people. They demonstrate their credibility as responsible and loyal people. According to
- According to Jacobs (2004), integrity emphasizes moral immutability, personal honesty, or truthfulness.
- According to Butler and Cantrell (1984, Hosmer, 1995), integrity is defined as a credible and honest reputation of those who define the term “trust” in an organizational context.
Characteristics of People with Integrity
People who have no particular cover or purpose other than what is shown
- People who behave according to what they say
- People with the same characteristics and behavior in front of and behind
- Have consistency between what you believe and your behavior
- People who are consistent between the life values they adhere to and the life they live
In fact, the term integrity is rarely used in everyday life, because not everyone knows and understands the meaning of integrity in more detail. The word integrity is used in everyday life because it refers to a person’s attitudes and characteristics.
A person is said to have integrity if they have the following personality and character:
- Trustworthy and honest
- Have commitment
- Responsible
- Keep his word
- Loyal
- Appreciate time
- Have the principle of being loyal to life values
Examples of Forms of Integrity
Almost every leader in the world agrees that employees with integrity are the ideal employees for any organization or company. A person’s honesty is reflected in the integrity of the work they do. The importance of work integrity is the value, commitment and tenacity that a person brings to every job.
There are five habits or examples of forms of integrity that everyone must have, especially those who seek high integrity in their lives. These five habits are examples of an attitude of integrity. People have strong integrity when they practice five habits such as the following:
1. Always arrive on time
First and foremost, always get into the habit of arriving on time. This attitude is related to our high level of commitment and time, because arriving on time means respecting the time we have and the time that other people have.
This attitude will increasingly convince the people around us that we are credible individuals because we live in good faith. On the other hand, when we often arrive late, other people do not really respect us.
Just don’t value their time why can’t they. Are we still worthy of other people’s respect? Not only does our respect diminish, but our internal trust also diminishes. Therefore, from now on, practice and apply this habit all the time.
2. Clarifying Commitments We Cannot Make
Integrity includes the commitment and eternity we have for something. That is why everything that cannot be done from the start, that is not in accordance with the values and principles of life needs to be avoided. When Grameds starts by saying this, the people around us become more and more convinced that we are noble. Why? This is because someone adheres to the values they currently have in all conditions, anytime, anywhere.
3. Clarify actions and notes written at the end of each meeting
It’s important to clarify. The goal is for what we understand and record to be consistent with what others in the meeting think. One of the main reasons things are often overlooked in meetings is because no one is prepared to organize everything, whether it’s important points or the final agreement of the meeting.
For example, the recipient doesn’t know exactly what the other party wants in the meeting. Of course, this endangered his position. Because if he cannot achieve what he wants, he loses the trust of customers and other stakeholders. Building integrity can be achieved by good practice in clarifying the issues and actions discussed and communicating them clearly at the end of the meeting.
4. Always fulfill the responsibilities given
People of great integrity always try to fulfill their responsibilities. Additionally, they strive to achieve the best results without holding others accountable. So, if Grameds really wants high integrity, start by using good habits to fulfill all existing responsibilities. The name of the responsibility must be written carefully, whether the responsibility is small or large.
READ ALSO: How to Appreciate Other People’s Work
5. Don’t let stress control your integrity
Stress and pressure often make people feel awkward and take shortcuts by damaging their integrity. For example, a former employee of XYZ company is a very sincere person. However, because of the situation that made his work difficult and almost hopeless, he did something that violated the law.
If he commits a violation that damages the business, he indirectly destroys its integrity. So it’s stress that triggers us to take a deep breath and do our best. Don’t let stress destroy the self-integrity that we had before.