Law #1 Integrity Builds Trust
Think about the game of football. There are eleven players on each side of the ball. Each individual player must trust that their teammates will carry out their responsibilities and stay true to their assignments. If just one person lacks integrity and navigates away from the game plan, it can result in a disastrous play. All eleven teammates must work in unison to accomplish the goal.
Over time, as a football team continuously practices, trust is built between the coaches and players and they all learn that they can count on each other to do their jobs. The same is true at work. If people at work don’t see you living with integrity in all areas of life, it will be hard to build trust with them.
The same goes for your life at home. Integrity is not effective when it is partially displayed. People see through temporary, fake, or shallow behavior, and that’s why it’s so important to work on integrity in all the areas of your life. And here’s the thing, no one is perfect. I’m not. You’re not. We all have our flaws, but the ability to have integrity while displaying humility and authenticity allows others to see who we really are. When we live that way, people are actually drawn to us because they know we are being true to who we are. They know they can trust us! Do you feel like you’re the same person in all of the areas of your life?
Law #2 Integrity Allows for Long‐Term Success
Many people you will encounter in business chase quick money. They don’t realize the consequences of their decisions and they conduct their business in a short‐sighted manner.
Two executives run a successful mortgage company together. The company employs over five thousand people and is consistently ranked as one of the top companies to work for in America. What is so impressive about them is that they consistently encourage their leadership team to make decisions that will help the company be profitable years from now.
They make wise decisions that help ensure the long‐term integrity and success of the business by caring for their employees and their families. While most mortgage companies regularly and significantly increase the salaries of their top executives, this company keeps large amounts of cash reserves available in case the economy ever softens so they will have funds available to prevent laying off any of their employees.
They know that the decisions they make behind closed doors highly impact their employees. They take very seriously the responsibility that they employ over five thousand people who need to provide for their families. Because of their integrity and genuine care for their employees, the company continues to experience sustained, long‐term success.
Law #3 Integrity = Your Best Self
You are in a battle every day. It’s less of a physical battle, though. It’s a spiritual one. Here’s a verse that helps to stay grounded. ‘For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?’ As a leader who is pursuing success, you need to remember that if you make all of the money in the world and have success in the short term, but you lose your principles and everything that’s important to you, you will ultimately fail. If you sacrifice your integrity to win today, you will lose in the end. And remember, the more success and power you have, the easier it is to believe that the rules don’t apply to you. Abraham Lincoln said it like this: ‘Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.’
For a leader, self‐care is very important, but living with integrity allows you to shift your focus to others. Think about a personal trainer, for example. Most successful personal trainers
rise very early in the morning to do their own workout. They discipline their own bodies first, then they’re able to coach others and give their best to their clients. If you had a personal trainer who didn’t actually work out, you would be quite confused and it would be hard to follow their leadership.
You owe it to yourself and to the others you lead to be the best version of yourself every single day and to be thankful for what you have instead of focusing on what you don’t.
Law #4 Integrity Frees You to Live
The person who is only ninety‐eight percent committed to something has to reevaluate their position and make a new decision each time a tough situation arises. But the person who is one hundred percent committed to certain principles understands that the decision has already been made. For example, think of a bodybuilder. Someone who trains to be in a physique competition has to undergo grueling months of eating a strict diet, working out most days to get their body into prime physical condition. The bodybuilder who is one hundred percent committed to being a great bodybuilder doesn’t have to decide when someone asks if they’d like a free ice cream cone. They decline because their vision is set on being great and they are all in on pursuing their goal, while the person who is only ninety‐eight percent committed has to make a decision whether they will eat it or not each time it is offered.
The same goes for you. You have to make a decision about the type of person you want to become. If your plan is to have integrity only when it’s convenient for you, you’ll constantly fight the battle of whether to do the right thing or not.
If you do decide to live your life at work and home with integrity, you’ll be able to live in freedom. Instead of trying to maintain your story or trying to save face, you’ll be able to freely work, live, and love.
