Reference no: EM131147258

Write the essay on given topic. and the thesis statement.

Extended Definition: Integrity

When a person is honest, when he is morally upright, or when he is morally principled, I confidently regard him as being a person of integrity. A person with integrity does what he or she feels is right, but what he or she does must meet people's expectations in terms of completeness, soundness, and honesty. This is especially applicable for leaders. In their study, McCann and Holt (2013) establish that although followers may not be honest, morally upright, or morally principled, they expect their leaders to be men and women with the virtues. Of course this is practically logical because traditionally, a leader is considered a role model and mentor whose principles influence the people that look up to him or her. In other words, people are highly likely to take after their leaders' behavior, which justifies the need for leaders to have and uphold the highest standard of character and integrity. In that light, a leader's integrity will be evaluated based on his or her virtues, honor, subordination, and allegiance. When a leader is found to have integrity, people will respect and have confidence in him or her.

There are various key concepts associated integrity. If I am a person of integrity, I must be true to myself. In fact, a person with integrity has to live up to his or her own moral standards. This means that if I want to do something and then I feel it is wrong to do it, it is highly likely that it is truly wrong. Accordingly, I consider this concept of integrity to be very important-if I go ahead to do something that I feel is wrong doing, then I have not lived up to my moral standards, which in turn means that I lack in integrity. Further explained, one needs to be true to himself or herself for him or her to be true to others. Therefore, the second and equally important concept of integrity is being true to others. Integrity is about knowing what is right and wrong, and choosing to do the former. It is about knowing that it is wrong to steal, cheat, or kill and avoid to steal from, cheat on, or kill others. Having integrity is not wanting anything to be stolen from me, being cheated on, or killed and not wanting any of these things to be done to others.

Being aware of the fact that I do not want anything to be stolen from me, anyone to cheat on me, or be killed but still steal from others, lie to anyone, or kill another person would put my integrity to question. I would be a person of integrity knowing that doing any of these things to anyone would be akin doing them to myself. This concept of integrity is not only important because of its outcomes, but because it is morally right to be true to others. Being true to others leads to yet another important concept of integrity-love. I cannot be considered to be morally upright if I have others. By extension, I cannot be considered to be a person of integrity if I hate people. My integrity would also be questioned if I demonstrate that I do not love myself. If I were a CEO of a company and I am paid enough to buy a car and use it to work, then since I want to accumulate so much liquid cash and choose to walk 10 miles every morning to my office, people would wonder whether I am a person of integrity. The question would arise from the observation that I torture to myself every day because apparently, I do not love myself. The people would further be concerned whether I would love others if I do not love myself. Would employees elect me to represent them? I doubt they would! Why? Because they would not consider me to be a person of integrity.

In his book, Being a Character: Psychoanalysis and Self-Experience, Bollas (2013) observes that a person of integrity does not necessarily seek attention. In other words, if I am a person of integrity, I do not necessarily have to do something morally upright just for people to recognize me-I have to do what is right even when people are not watching me. That is not just for in my case! An individual of integrity does not seek for recognition for all the good he or she does. As a matter of fact, if a person sought recognition for being morally upright or honest, then people would question his or her integrity. Regardless, it pays to be a person of integrity. In addition, people are easily influenced for the better by the people they consider as being of integrity. The influence may include the people learning to also become of integrity. This follows that people learn integrity. In other words, people learn to be honest, trustworthy, loving, morally upright, etc. This implies that people can lack integrity not because they do not care, but because they were raised among people whose integrity was questionable. Therefore, people can also be of integrity by influencing others to become honest, morally upright, and morally principled.
 
References
Bollas, C. (2013). Being a Character: Psychoanalysis and Self-Experience. Routledge.
McCann, J., & Holt, R. A. (2013). Perceived Leadership Integrity in The Manufacturing Industry. Journal of Business Ethics, 115(3), 635-644.