Nearly every goal we have, as Christian men—succeeding at work, succeeding in our families, succeeding in our service to Christ—is in some way dependent upon our influence with others. That influence cannot grow without an essential quality in our lives…integrity.
A study conducted by the UCLA Graduate School of Management surveyed 1,300 senior executives. Seventy-one percent of them said that integrity was the quality most needed to succeed in business. Management guru Stephen Covey in his classic, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, makes the same point: “If I try to use human influence strategies and tactics of how to get other people to do what I want, to work better, to be more motivated, to like me and each other—while my character is fundamentally flawed, marked by duplicity and insincerity—then, in the long run, I cannot be successful. My duplicity will breed distrust, and everything I do—even using so-called human relations techniques—will be perceived as manipulative.”
In view of these secular observations, we should not be surprised to read in Scripture, “The man of integrity walks securely” (Prov. 10:9) and, “The integrity of the upright guides them” (Prov. 11:3).
Webster defines integrity as the quality of being morally sound. It is consistency of character. In Paul’s description of our armor for spiritual warfare, integrity is taking up the belt of truth, i.e. having our lives held together and encircled by a commitment to truthfulness. Integrity does not require us to be perfect. But it does require us to be sincere in our pursuit of truthfulness, including admitting it when we mess up.
Here are a few faces of this multi-faceted diamond. Integrity is:
- Living a life that is an open book with no fear of what others might find in secret closets
- Being vigilant to make sure I keep whatever promise I make
- Doing the right thing even when it costs dearly
- Being scrupulously honest in every business dealing
- Admitting guilt rather than covering it up
- Speaking the truth rather than exaggerating or bending it
- Paying attention to the little thing
- Walking the walk, not just talking the talk
- A one-to-one correlation between my Bible, my belief, and my behavior (Pat Morley)
Here is a final thought from John Maxwell’s book, Becoming a Person of Influence: “The bottom line when it comes to integrity is that it allows others to trust you. And, without trust, you have nothing. Trust is the single most important factor in personal and professional relationships. It is the glue that holds people together. And it is the key to becoming a person of influence.”
