This week I have had several brushes with people that have made me think about integrity. My definition of integrity is having a sense of honesty and truthfulness in regard to the motivation of your actions. This includes demonstrating consistency of your actions, values, methods and expectations.

Integrity is a lot like being pregnant. Either you’re pregnant, or you aren’t. There’s no middle ground. It’s the same with integrity. Either you’re behaving with integrity, or you’re not.

While integrity is not a suit that you can pull on and take off when it’s convenient, many day-to-day behaviors suggest that convenience plays a large role in whether people display integrity or not. People speak of specific codes of behaviours according to context - personal, professional or business - as if different suits of honesty and trustworthiness are put on according to the situation. This is “doing integrity” rather than being honest. It’s no more than putting on an act. This is of course essentially dishonest.

Why? One reason is that people’s basic need for control, recognition and security gets in the way of integrity. So they move away from their authentic self, from their deeper inner values, displaying behaviours that lack integrity.

What can you do to increase your integrity? Here are 6 suggestions to increase your integrity:

Be 100% Honest

Have you ever “borrowed” office supplies for personal use, exaggerated your professional experience during an interview or padded your expense report? Little indiscretions may indicate a sense of dissatisfaction and disrespect for yourself or your employer. Absolute integrity means being absolutely honest and upright in your actions to the best of your ability.

Take Responsibility

A victim mentality keeps people stuck, usually because of a lack of awareness. Making excuses and placing blame supports the illusion that others are responsible for our circumstances. If constantly asking permission, seeking direction, or wanting someone else to take the lead have become your modus operandi, you may need a new attitude.

Update Your Values Values are principles we live by. As we age, our values evolve with personal experience. Influences on our values include our parents, peers, culture and media. With so many influences on our values, we need to be aware when our values become outdated, tainted or unproductive.

Relax Into Your Options

We all know that life is a series of choices, but sometimes, our desire to get things accomplished denies us the luxury of the very time we need for considering our options. As a result, our decisions become rushed, our actions become reactions, and we are less emotionally available to the important people in our lives. The only solution is to make time to relax, no matter how busy we are.

Walk Your Talk

Mahatma Gandhi reminded us to walk our talk when he said, “Your life is the message.” If your life is the message, then what values are you broadcasting to the world? If you find yourself feeling guilty, exhausted, scattered or depressed, you may need to re-evaluate your career choice. On the other hand, if you genuinely enjoy your work, but simply need more flexibility to spend time with your family, consider other options.

Pursue Worthy Efforts

No man is an island, so the saying goes. Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop said, “The business of business should be about responsibility. It should be about public good, not private greed.” Are the values of your work consistent with the personal values you have worked so hard to develop and maintain? Integrity is the satisfaction of knowing that your work has a positive impact on others, the earth and future generations.

Honesty and integrity are key ingredients to developing trust. Trust is the key element to establishing credibility. Credibility is at the centre of our ability to influence others and have people believe in us.

If integrity is a challenge for you, you may want to hire a life coach. A coach is a trusted professional you can confide in, who will challenge you to become more truthful and make necessary changes in your life. Or pick up one of the many books written by life coaches that will walk you back into your truth.

Leslie Adams is a certified life coach with Inside Out Coaching and Consulting. Her website can be found at www.coachinsideout.com. Contact Leslie at 250-344-6949 or by email at insideout@uniserve.com.

LESLIE ADAMS

Life Coach