Integrity pays off
By Jean Ricot Dormeus
The royal palm tree offers a majestic illustration of integrity. No tropism, whether from light, gravity or other sources, would get it to bend. This tree stands tall even in the face of devastating events, such as hurricanes. Wouldn’t it be beneficial to mirror a similar level of integrity in our lives? Can we align our beliefs, values and lifestyle irrespective of our circumstances? A focus on integrity prevents giving in to the appeal of self-indulgence or ill-advised shortcuts.
Integrity may not come naturally, because most of the time, it goes against our human nature and our culture. Also we often fall for easy solutions and instant gratification. Behaving the right way even when no one is looking may be our goal, but it takes commitment and a conducive environment.
Integrity fosters a clear conscience and boosts our self-confidence. If you do your best at work, show discipline and abide by the rules, you are more likely to exert influence and contribute to a well organized and well functioning institution. Your productivity increases as peace and harmony take stronger roots.
Further, integrity prepares the way to risk taking and resilience. In the Bible, Daniel’s integrity empowered him to take the risk of saying no first to the king’s diet, then to a requirement intended to prevent him from praying to God.
Leadership and management with integrity display excellence and inspire people to achieve their potential as leaders take full responsibility for the results of their team.
In the end, corrupt communities tend to decay and work at cross-purposes, while an honesty based society moves forward and upward. Integrity really pays off.
Jean Ricot Dormeus
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