February 17
“Till I die, I will not put away my integrity from me.” Job 27:5b
Today we will continue to share quotes on integrity from John C. Maxwell’s excellent book Developing the Leader Within You.
“Integrity binds our person together and fosters a spirit of contentment within us. It will not allow our lips to violate our hearts. When integrity is the referee, we will be consistent; our beliefs will be mirrored by our conduct. There will be no discrepancy between what we appear to be and what our family knows we are, whether in times of prosperity or adversity. Integrity allows us to predetermine what we will be regardless of circumstances, persons involved, or the places of our testing.”
“Integrity is not only the referee between two desires. It is the pivotal point between a happy person and a divided spirit. It frees us to be whole persons no matter what comes our way.”
“‘The first key to greatness,’ Socrates reminds us, ‘is to be in reality what we appear to be.’ Too often we try to be a ‘human doing’ before we have become a ‘human being.’ To earn trust a leader has to be authentic. For that to happen, one must come across as a good musical composition does – the words and music must match.”
“What they hear they understand. What they see, they believe. What people need is not a motto to say, but a model to see. The more credible you are, the more confidence people place in you, thereby allowing you the privilege of influencing their lives. The less credible you are, the less confidence people place in you and the more quickly you lose your position of influence. Image is what people think we are. Integrity is what we really are.”
“1. Integrity builds trust. Dwight Eisenhower said, ‘In order to be a leader a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence, the supreme quality for a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible…His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.’”
“2. Integrity has high influence value. Will Rogers said, ‘People’s minds are changed by observation and not argument.’ People do what people see.” Seventy one percent of 1300 executives placed integrity at the top of a list of sixteen traits responsible for executive success.
More tomorrow.