Integrity in the workplace

When I was thinking of a title for this post, I considered ‘How to demonstrate Integrity’ as a working title but then it occurred to me that “demonstrating Integrity” is an oxymoron, it’s contradictory. You should never have to demonstrate Integrity. It is what you do when no one is watching.

In a previous post I talked about the most important skills to for anyone looking for success in their career. Having integrity in not only your workplace and career, but in your life can be rewarding for you and for everyone around you.

What is Integrity?

Integrity is a series of choices where you do the right thing by choice. Integrity is going above and beyond just following the rules. It is choosing the right path even if it is the harder choice, involves more work for you or alienates some of your colleagues. It means bringing your personal code of ethics and conduct to work with you and never compromising on it. It might be hard at times to follow through on the path to integrity but I promise you, it will lead to more work satisfaction and success. Integrity is what will set you apart from the crowd and will make you a memorable colleague for whoever you work with.

How do you build a life and career based on Integrity?

• Keep your word -Always aim to deliver on your promises. If you say you will do something, do it on or before the deadline. There are, of course, going to be delays due to unforeseen events beyond your control. In those cases, be open and upfront. Be transparent – let the stakeholders know ahead of time and try to be responsible by coming up with alternate solutions. Delivering your work on promised time does not mean you compromise on the quality to finish faster either. Hold your work to to the highest standards and hold yourself accountable for the quality of work. Mistakes are bound to happen too. Your goal should not be perfection, rather excellence. You might be able to survive in your job even if you don’t keep your word too but your word is going to mean less and less each time. If you want your everyone to trust you in your workplace, this is the surest way to build that trust.
• Lead by Example – If you wish to change the culture at your workplace, start with yourself. “Be the change you wish to see in the world” has never rang truer. Even if you are not in a leadership position in your workplace, you can still inspire others to follow your lead when it comes to behavior and conduct. Leaders are not only defined by their positions, but by their choices too. You exhibit leadership at work by choosing to not just blindly follow what everyone else is doing, rather forge your own path. Strive to make a difference. When you choose to exhibit the best behavioral and professional conduct, soon you would see others around you getting impacted and start following that. For example, one person always showing up on time, delivering the best quality work on-time, treating everyone around them with respect is bound to make a positive impact on everyone around.
• Speak Up – “If you see something, say something”. A professional with Integrity would not let an ethical wrong take place in the workplace even when it is well within the rulebook of the organization. It takes a lot of courage to raise your voice against authority, more so when you feel your job might be at risk. But it is still important to do so for your own well-being and psychological health. You might cause some uproar in the short-term when you speak up in such situations but ultimately, keeping quiet does more harm than good to yourself and can turn out to be costly for your organization as well. So, never be afraid to speak up, ask questions, play devil’s advocate. Your colleagues and bosses might be thrown off in the moment, but they would surely thank you later. Here is a great explanation of ethical behaviors for you.
• Be in the driver’s seat – “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions” – Stephen Covey in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. People who have integrity do not blame their circumstances for their behavior, rather take responsibility and “choose” their responses. At work, it means to not waiting around for things to happen, be the force that sets things in motion. Rather than crossing your fingers and hoping things don’t go wrong in the course of your work, do everything you can to minimize potential problems that can occur. Don’t wait for feedback, actively seek it. Ask questions. Actively look for opportunities at work and ask to be a part of the best projects. If you are turned down, ask why and try to improve and learn.
• Be Respectful – Don’t just follow common courtesies at work, that’s a given, but demonstrate respect to others in everything you say and do. Respect others’ feelings and ideas. Respect your coworkers’ time by being punctual and meeting deadlines. Respect others’ ambitions by not being selfish and sharing exciting work so others can get opportunity to learn as well. Actively look for Bias and try to eliminate in your own actions and words.

Living and working with integrity will not only boost your self esteem, it will also lead you to have better relationships with coworkers. You will surely find more fulfillment at work when your working principles align with your moral compass.