Читать книгу Stand Tall Leadership - Steven A. Bollar - Страница 27

This is very close to keeping your promises. This point focuses more on your daily actions and goals. If you say you are going to arrive to a meeting on time, do it! If you say you are going to finish the report, do it! If you say you are going to reflect on your day, do it! What you do throughout your day consists of many little decisions. As a Stand Tall Leader, others are watching what you do and what you don't do. They can see if you are one to keep your word with others and yourself. If you say it out loud or in your head, follow through and make it so. I would argue that doing what you say you are going to do is the most important part of developing and maintaining a high level of integrity. Not doing what you say you are going to do damages your integrity on a daily basis. Doing what you say you are going to do reinforces your integrity on a daily basis.

When I was a child, my family did not live near a shopping mall. Therefore, it was a big deal to have the time to go. My brother and I begged my father to go. Eventually, he said yes. He stated that he promise to take us in two weeks. During the two-week time, my brother and I saved our money from our paper route. Finally, the day came. We piled into the minivan and my father started the drive to the shopping mall. About five miles outside of town, my father started to scream in pain. He was holding his abdomen and pulled the car over. What was going on? This was before cell phones, and neither my brother nor I could drive. Eventually, my father was able to turn the minivan around and drive home. Once home, my mother took my father to the hospital. It turns out, he had several gallstones that had to be removed.

About two months later, my father came to my brother and I and said, “Let's go. I'll take you to the mall.” We both explained that it was okay, and we didn't have to go. Not to mention, we had no money. My father stated that he made a promise and he was going to keep it. He reached into his pocket, gave us money, and took us to the mall.

Integrity is so much more than keeping a promise or two. It shows the world who you are. It identifies your character and level of respect for others and yourself.

Living with integrity means:

 Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships

 Asking for what you want and need from others

 Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension

 Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values

 Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe

– Barbara DeAngelis1

Integrity is a set of beliefs, values, and actions that others can depend on.

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