Situational Integrity

What is situational integrity?

Let’s face it, that’s a bit paradoxical. For most of us, either you have integrity or you don’t.

So, what do I mean by situational integrity? I think the easiest way to illustrate it is through an example or two.

I once worked for a man who prided himself on his integrity. He had high expectations for his staff and was an excellent role model of how to behave with ethics and integrity.

Imagine my surprise when I stopped for a bite after work and found this same man in a dark corner of the shop carrying on with  one of his office staff.

No big deal? Well, yes it was, he was ” happily married man with two children”, and he was only too pleased to tell you about them. Which leads us to situational integrity – he had integrity at work and not in his home life.

Unfortunately, situational integrity seems to be a big part of political life.

Politicians make huge promises and regularly break them. At the same time, they brag about their integrity. And perhaps in some spheres of their life they do have integrity, just not in every area.

Which leads me to ask: do you demonstrate integrity in all areas of your life?

Or do you also fall into the situational integrity situation?

One place integrity often fails us is in the commitments we make to ourselves. We make promises and carry them out for others, yet can not do the same for ourself.

When it comes to ourselves it is not always easy to make that decision that holds us to our integrity. Diet and exercise seem to be the big failures for many of us – I admit I’m one.

My friends and family will tell you if I make a commitment or a decision I will bend over backwards to complete it. When it comes to that commitment to myself, it’s not as easy.

When I see it as an issue of maintaining my integrity, then it makes it easier.

At the end of the day you maintain integrity by the decisions you make. And it can be a minute by minute situations.

If making and holding decisions is not as easy for you, give me a call. We can figure it out together.