The power of integrity
By Taru Bahl

FOR most of us values and ethics have become relative concepts. Honesty for A may mean a strict adherence to a value system which forbids cheating, lying and manipulating. B, on the contrary, may feel that so long as he does not harm anybody consciously, his honesty quotient remains undisturbed. If he steals office stationery, which is in abundance anyway, or makes personal STD and ISD calls from his work place or goes through others’ private and confidential mail to keep himself abreast of office politics, he suffers no guilt pangs. His line of reasoning is that his company is doing well and he is slogging eight hours a day. He is therefore taking what rightfully belongs to him. The only difference is that instead of these perks being handed over to him, he is helping himself to them. In any case, since everyone else is doing it, it cannot be wrong.

Opinions, situations and cultures may vary. But values like fairness, justice, integrity and commitment are universal and eternal. Just because ten persons are doing a wrong thing it doesn’t make the thing right. Intelligent people can use fancy terminology and psychobabble to camouflage their intentions and deeds but to a plain-speaking person a dishonest act would remain a dishonest act, however well one may try to disguise it. There were these restauranteurs who set up a successful chain of multi-cuisine eateries across the country. The family business was initially managed by two brothers. One got smarter and had the documents transferred in his own name. And 50 years down the line it was this savvy brother who went to town with the success story of his business acumen and hard work. Many chose to look at the success and affluence ignoring the ethics of the business, whether it was the way he cheated others, bribed the powers that be, withheld staff salaries and bonuses or used sub-standard ingredients in his food items. But for those who swore by integrity and basic human goodness, this family was successful all right, but not one whose success they would hold in high esteem or emulate. Given a choice they would also not like to eat at those restaurants. Because they could not identify with those places. And it is this percentage of people, that may be shrinking in size, though not necessarily in stature, that one has to look upto because they are the conscience, the soul, the spirit of our society.

The chief of Wipro, Premji, was recently in the news for being the richest Indian. Here an instance is recounted which may appear to be an over-reaction to some, but could be one of the reasons for his having created a successful business conglomerate. Premji has the reputation of being highly principled with an unbending adherence to personal and business values. He summoned his general managers from all over the country for an urgent meeting in Bangalore. He had dismissed a senior manager for inflating a travel bill. In spite of the fact that his input was valuable to the company, Premji asked him to leave for what was a breach of faith, honesty and good conduct. He told the GMs that the idea of calling the meeting was not to humiliate the man or to sensationalise the company’s stance but to tell them that personal ethics could not be delinked from corporate governance. The two have to blend into one powerful synergetic whole.

Narayan Murty, Chairman of Infosys Technology, doesn’t lounge in a Lexus or breeze through in a BMW. He has a Maruti 1000 and when his driver is on leave he takes the office bus to work since he doesn’t drive. He lives in a middle class colony and his office in Bangalore has no air conditioner. This frugality or attempt to lead a simple uncluttered life is not a conscious decision, taken with the idea of impressing others or making a personal statement of sorts. It is a way of life where the qualities of the mind and spirit overtake that which is material and shallow. Leaders like Premji and Murty earn respect and unstinted support because they are men of integrity and character. Integrity is the fountainhead of every other virtue. They also find themselves more focused on the task at hand, more in tune with their environment and most importantly more adept at enjoying the reward of their success. Buddha said, "we are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think; when the mind is pure, joy follows, like a shadow that never leaves."

Duplicity, breaking promises, distorting the truth, snooping, manipulating people and situations to suit one’s personal ends all denote lack of integrity. Ancient wisdom says "anything that is bought or sold has no value unless it contains the secret and priceless ingredients of credibility, honesty and integrity." These can never be traded. A person with integrity will always stand out. Even when the going is rough and he has to battle crises like bankruptcy, scandal, alcoholism, a bad marriage, delinquency or dog-eat-dog office politics - he will conduct himself with grace and dignity.

Integrity has only one meaning. No modern influence or compulsions can distort or dilute it. It means matching words and feelings with thoughts and actions, with no desire other than for the good of others. It implies having no desire to deceive, take advantage of, manipulate or control others. To show integrity we should keep our word and strive continually to harmonise our habit system with our value system. Like most virtues, integrity is best developed and exercised in harmony with others. The more it is exercised, the more it becomes a habit.

Integrity is the foundation of all goodness and greatness. The internal strength that emerges from it eliminates the tendencies to impress others name drop and seek strength in credentials, possessions, fashion, affiliations or status symbols. A person who lacks integrity cannot have a strong emotional bank balance. One on which would rest the foundations and qualiy of relationships with business associates, colleagues, family, friends, spouse,neighbours and even casual acquaintances. There are times when we listen to a school principal read out the annual report or a speaker make a presentation at a conference or a guest hold forth at a party and something strikes a chord within. They transmit a message which seems to convey that they are straight, clean, trustworthy and virtuous. Surprisingly they have not dealt directly with us nor have we heard anything about them yet there is something in their demeanour which seems to suggest that they are good and honourable men. In much the same manner we may share a train journey with a person who may not exchange a single word with us yet his body vibes and spiritual aura are disconcerting. Somehow we get an uncomfortable feeling that the person is untrustworthy.

Integrity then is a quality which first gets reflected in the way we think, it then moves on to the manner in which we act and finally it permeates our sensory and physiological being, giving us an aura, making it easier for people to trust us, have faith in us, value us and forgive us when we make mistakes. That is the beauty of integrity. It gives us a second chance. People are by then so convinced of our innate goodness, that they discount the mistake we make. They attribute it to human failing without maligning us or avoiding us. Remember the story of the Shepherd Boy and the Wolf? Once the boy’s credentials were established as one who lied at the drop of a hat, created panic and loved watching the havoc he created, people stopped taking him seriously. So, when he called out for help when he was really in distress, no one came to his aid, because they were certain that he was lying. To evoke such a response from people can be extremely damaging be it one’s personal, social or professional life.

We must understand that integrity is the capacity to integrate. It’s an attribute which creates a climate of trust. Which is why it is said that a life of integrity is the most fundamental source of personal worth.