One of the realities of life is that if you cannot trust a person at all points, you cannot truly trust him or her at any point.  Even people who are able to hide their lack of integrity for a period of time will eventually experience failure, and their business and personal relationships will suffer.

 

One of the reasons many people struggle with integrity is that they tend to look outside themselves to explain any deficiencies in character.  But the development of integrity is an INSIDE job.  If you struggle with maintaining your integrity, and you're doing all the right things on the outside -- but you're still getting the wrong results -- something is wrong and still needs to be changed on the inside.

 

Consider the following questions to help you nail down areas that might need attention in helping you maintain your integrity:

 

1.  How well to I treat people if I gain nothing in return?

 

2.  Am I transparent with others?

 

3.  Do I "role-play" based on the person(s) I am with?

 

4.  Am I the same person in the spotlight as I am when I am alone?

 

5.  Do I quickly admit wrongdoing without being pressed to do so?

 

6.  Do I put people ahead of my personal agenda?

 

7.  Do I have an unchanging standard for moral decisions, or do circumstances determine my choices?

 

8.  Do I make difficult decisions, even when they have a personal cost attached to them?

 

9.  When I have something to say about people, do I talk to them or about them?

 

10.  Am I accountable to at least one other person for what I think, say and do?

 

 

Don't be too quick to respond to these questions.  If character development is a serious area of need in your life, your tendency may be to skim through the questions, giving answers that describe how you WISH you were rather than who you actually are.  Take some time to reflect on each question, honestly considering it before answering.  Then....go to work on the areas where you're having the most trouble.