When we’re guilty of compromising integrity

LEADERSHIP | Research throughout the world, including Malaysia, has shown that integrity is the most admired trait of leaders and managers.

However, not many people can look in the mirror and beam with pride for having incorporated integrity - the bedrock of good character - into their professional and personal lives. Many politicians, leaders, managers and employees are guilty of compromising integrity in their daily actions.

Major examples of lack of integrity are taking bribes; misappropriating funds; using misleading facts and lies to defend positions or to cover up blunders; promoting self-interest at the expense of others and the organisation; making false claims; misusing organisational resources; rewarding undeserving “yes-men”; not honouring commitments; spending an inordinate amount of time on personal business at work; and taking home office stationery.

Personally, I know of several academicians who have sold their soul and committed “intellectual travesty” unethically as they value promotions and titles much more than integrity or self-respect. Similarly, at the club level, I have come across many members who shamelessly lie through their teeth and fail to uphold righteousness and justice.

Despite being a popular word and a virtue highly favoured by society, the term “integrity” is not widely understood. The word “integrity” is derived from the Latin word “integritas” meaning “wholeness”. The common dictionary definition of integrity is “quality of being honest and morally upright.”

Warren Bennis, an authority on leadership, defines integrity as “standards of moral and intellectual honesty on which our conduct is based.” Stephen Covey, a self-development guru, defines integrity as “honestly matching words and feelings with thoughts and actions, with no desire other than for the good of others, without malice or desire to deceive, take advantage, manipulate, or control; constantly reviewing your intent as you strive for congruence.” Daniel Goleman, an expert on emotional intelligence defines integrity as “acting openly, honestly and consistently.”

Simply put, integrity is the congruence between one’s thoughts, feelings, values and words with action.

Key elements

The major elements of integrity are speaking the truth, practising what one preaches, honouring promises and commitments, not deceiving or manipulating others for personal gain, being forthright about own mistakes, and taking risks to defend just principles and ideals.

Integrity is the cornerstone for building trust and credibility which are crucial for securing employee commitment. It is absolutely essential for winning the hearts and minds of subordinates and bringing out the best in them. Research by the Center for Creative Leadership shows that successful managers had strong integrity. In contrast, many of the derailed managers did not honour promises or betray the trust of others.

Integrity is also absolutely essential to leadership; it is a primary determinant of whether people will perceive a leader to be trustworthy. In the words of Max DePree, American businessman and writer, “Integrity is the linchpin of leadership.”

Take heed that personal integrity is an important determinant of one’s self-esteem and psychological well-being. As stated by Nathaniel Branden, a leading authority on self-esteem, we lose face in our own eyes when we behave in ways that conflict with our judgement of what is appropriate.

Simply put, a breach of integrity wounds our self-esteem and erodes self-respect. In this regard, I am reminded of a German proverb: When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, everything is lost.

The importance of integrity is best summed up by Warren Buffett, an American business magnate: “I look for three things in hiring people. The first is personal integrity, the second is intelligence, and the third is a high energy level. But if you don’t have the first, the second two don’t matter.”

Malaysians of unparallel integrity

Among Malaysians who have demonstrated unparalleled integrity are Ismail Mohamed Ali, the first Bank Negara Malaysia governor; Ani Arope, former executive chairman of Tenaga Nasional Berhad; and Sukhdave Singh, former deputy governor of Bank Negara Malaysia.

Ismail Ali personified integrity in his professional and personal lives. In the words of Abdullah Ahmad, former political secretary of second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, “Ismail left an indelible impression of integrity, a high standard of morality, and an august sense of righteousness and justice.” According to Khalid Ibrahim, former CEO of Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad, Ismail was very ethical, to the extent that he would declare all dutiable items to the Customs for taxation purposes.

Ani Arope, Malaysia’s first Fulbright scholar, will be most remembered for defying the Malaysian government in 1996 by staunchly refusing to sign off on power-purchasing contracts which he regarded as being lopsided and favoured the independent power producers (IPPs). He chose to resign honourably to protect the interests of TNB and the consumers at large rather than to sell his soul and keep his job.

Sukhdave, one of Malaysia’s most respected economists and central bankers, opted ethically for “early retirement” instead of selling his soul for personal gain. In a 2019 note to his friends and colleagues, Sukhdave stated his reason – albeit tactfully – for leaving Bank Negara: “All I can say is that my life in the bank has been based on certain professional expectations, and when I find myself put in circumstances where those expectations can no longer be met, there could have been no other decision for me.”

10 tips on maintaining integrity

1. Clarify your own core values. Determine the core values that you choose to live your life and are willing to stand by them. Subsequently, translate them into a set of guiding principles. More importantly, conform to these principles in your daily behaviour and decision making.

2. Be truthful. People are generally more tolerant of learning something they “don’t want to hear” than finding out that someone lied to them.

3. Honour your promises. Honouring promises and commitments is vital for people to perceive you as being dependable or reliable. Never make promises that you don’t intend to keep. Similarly, never make decisions that you cannot support.

4. Show consistency in behaviour. Consistency in behaviour is crucial for others to trust you. In Peter Drucker’s words, “Effective leadership … is not based on being clever; it is based primarily on being consistent.” Mistrust arises generally from not knowing what to expect.

5. Practise open and honest communication. Open and honest communication engenders confidence and trustworthiness. Fully disclose relevant information to parties involved, ensure decision-making criteria is overtly clear, explain the rationale for your decisions, and be forthright about problems.

6. Demonstrate fairness and objectivity. Be objective and fair in your dealings with others. Give credit where it’s due. Make judgements strictly based upon facts.

7. Take responsibility. Admit mistakes or errors in judgement. Avoid blaming others for every problem.

8. Share credit for successes. Acknowledge other people’s contributions. Remember that the greatest human craving is to be appreciated or being praised.

9. Never violate confidences. Maintain confidentiality. Resist the temptation to feel important by leaking secrets.

10. Maintain loyalty. Be loyal to your friends or followers. Never manipulate them in the pursuit of self-interest.

To conclude, integrity though highly prized and expected of our leaders, is indeed rare in today’s highly materialistic and self-serving world. Integrity starts and ends with the individual. Don’t disrespect yourself by demonstrating lack of integrity. Hence, reflect objectively to what extent you maintain integrity in your daily actions and what steps you can take to buttress it. - Mkini

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RANJIT SINGH MALHI is a widely-quoted authority on self-leadership, peak performance and soft skills. He has written six books on personal excellence, soft skills and management, three of which have been translated into Arabic.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.