Personal integrity: what it is and why it matters

Coaching can help you reflect on what is most important to you so you can develop your sense of personal integrity. It can also help with landing your dream job.

What are the attributes of integrity?

1. Determine and follow a set of core values

It’s impossible to have integrity if you don’t have a moral code that you set for yourself and follow. Your values can be written down, or you could create a personal mission statement for yourself. For some people, it’s helpful to follow a philosophical or religious doctrine to help them shape their morals and values.

Some example personal values you could jot down include:

• Authenticity
• Gratitude
• Honesty
• Kindness
• Reliability

However you decide to form your values, it’s key that you follow those principles in all situations to develop and uphold integrity. Your values are your roadmap to success in personal integrity.

2. Be honest

Honesty is also a critical part of having personal integrity. In addition to following a set of values, you should also be transparent and honest about your actions because you have nothing to hide.

Everyone appreciates honesty, even though it can be difficult for the truth-teller and the receiver of the truth. By making honesty a priority in your life, you’ll be able to maintain your personal integrity.

3. Help others

A person who wants to help others spreads a lot of good in the world and usually shows good moral character. If you value generosity and good deeds, you’ll also want to make sure you follow through on those values and take action.

You can help people who you interact with day-to-day or reach out to volunteer organizations to do service work in your community. However you choose to give back, it’s important to do so authentically and not just to maintain appearances or check off a box.

4. Lead by example

One of the most ineffective types of leaders is someone with the philosophy, “Do as I say, not as I do.” It’s hard to respect someone who doesn’t follow through on what they say they’ll do, and even harder to work with or for them.

One of the best ways to demonstrate that you have integrity is to act according to your values, whether the people around you follow those principles or not. While you may not have direct reports, you can still lead others to act with integrity. You’ll be seen as someone with good character if you can follow your morals while everyone else follows their whims—and you may even inspire others to follow your example.  

5. Take responsibility

There will probably come a time when you don’t demonstrate integrity or slip up on your values. This is normal and remember that everyone makes mistakes.

How you respond after recognizing that you messed up is important. If you avoid taking responsibility and find excuses for why you didn’t behave according to your morals, you’re digging yourself into an even deeper hole showing a lack of integrity.

When you’ve messed up, own up to your mistake and hold yourself accountable for any repercussions. Not only will other people respect you more for your responsibility, but you may also repair any broken trust that resulted.

What is professional integrity in the workplace?

As the data above showed, integrity can have a significant impact on organizations and employees in the workplace. A company’s approach to integrity and ethical culture is vital to a productive and healthy work environment.

Here are four ways that professional integrity shows up in the workplace and what you can do to make sure you demonstrate personal integrity at work.

1. Follow company policies

The reason company policies are created in the first place is to ensure the business maintains or develops an ethical culture. Companies often have a set list of values, policies, and mission statements to align employees on what is expected and important to the organization.

By following these workplace rules and statements, whether it’s a vacation policy or anti-harassment policy, you show that you find the guidance valuable and respect the company's approach to integrity.    

2. Respect all coworkers

While you may not be everyone’s best friend, it’s still important to show respect and kindness to everyone in the workplace. There will be times when you may disagree with someone and it would be easy to gossip about them. However, hold yourself to the principles you value and take the high road.

You’ll be seen as a mature and capable professional and will gain even more respect from your boss or colleagues. Respect also shows up by allowing others to contribute equally during meetings, being flexible with different working schedules, and asking for input or feedback.

3. Speak up about any misconduct

The phrase, “If you see something, say something,” applies pretty well here. If you see any of your coworkers or leaders acting in a way that doesn’t reflect the company’s values or could be considered unethical, you should take the opportunity to speak up.

It can feel intimidating to come forward about workplace misconduct, especially if the person you’re reporting is a friend or your superior. But if you don’t say something, who will? A common excuse people use when not reporting unethical behavior is they believe someone else will report it. When no one does and the behavior goes unchecked. Uphold the professional integrity of your workplace by holding yourself and your colleagues to ethical standards.  

4. Be accountable for mistakes

There are also situations where behavior isn’t necessarily unethical but doesn’t reflect your integrity. If there was a mistake made, own up to your oversight and take responsibility for making it right. Putting blame on others or avoiding any confrontation expands the issue and doesn’t show good character on your part.

Additionally, you can show personal integrity through how you go about your work and your personal commitments. For example, if you hand in a project that was done with little effort because you were feeling lazy on Friday afternoon, that doesn’t hold up well if you or your organization values hard work. You can hold yourself accountable by planning out time to work on projects so you don’t wait until the last minute or by being honest with your business partners to find a reasonable deadline where you can showcase your best work.

The best way to develop personal integrity is to get started

You likely act with personal integrity already, but if you think that you have some areas to work on, you’re not alone. Integrity is a lifelong journey that requires patience as you cultivate this critical life skill.

You’ll also need to give yourself some grace. There will be times along the way when you don’t show integrity or aren’t as honest as you could have been. You can use these experiences as learning opportunities to find out what went wrong, and then own up and correct your mistake.

Regardless of where you are in your journey to demonstrating personal integrity, you’ll never improve if you don’t get started. Begin by reflecting on areas in your personal life or workplace where you can demonstrate integrity. Then, you can focus on developing the five attributes of personal integrity: follow a set of values, be honest, help others, lead by example, and take responsibility. Ask a trusted friend or a life coach to help keep you accountable, and you’ll see that showing integrity will soon become second nature.