Motivation - Integrity

MOTIVATION - INTEGRITY

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC

The quote today comes from the great Confucius himself, who says:

“The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.”

Pretty straight forward I would say – but what kind of integrity do we have in the home?  Therein lies the million dollar question!

My Concise Oxford Dictionary says that integrity is: “Wholeness, entirety, soundness, uprightness, honesty.”

Those are some ordinary words with huge meanings behind them and if we would have to live up to them or the perception of them – what would that mean in the grand scheme of things?

On a personal level, integrity means a whole bunch of things – like;

Being honest about things – honest with myself, first and foremost because I cannot possibly be honest with anyone else, if I am not honest with myself!

Standing up, and being counted for what I believe in, irrespective of what the consequences to that is.  Things like - I will not tolerate cruelty to animals, to children or the elderly. 

When making a commitment, sticking to the terms of that commitment or the spirit of that commitment.  It’s about delivering on promises. 
The deliverables must be met.

Giving my word – that for me is good enough because my word is my bond!

Treating people the way that I would like to be treated.  So many of us have double standards.  We do things, but then when others do the same thing it suddenly becomes an issue.

Being respectful of people’s time.  Being late for or not pitching for appointments for me is one of the most disrespectful things that I can do to someone, the minute I know that I am going to be late or cannot make the meeting, I phone and tell the person that I am supposed to be meeting.  – by not doing this, I am telling the other person that my time is far more valuable than theirs.

Then of course there is acceptance – none of us like to be judged, especially by someone who doesn’t know us at all, and yet we judge people on a daily basis, based on our perception of what and who they are.  Don’t do it. You don’t have the right!  We all want people to accept us for who and what we are, so how about we afford them the same consideration and respect.  Accept people for who they are.

So, think about it – carefully – what is your integrity like?

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.