to truth have the courage to bear the consequences when they have to tell a truth that hurts. They know that trust can be rebuilt when truth is present.
When people value truth over everything else, good relationships grow stronger. Bad ones may come to an end; and while that is painful, it can also be crucial to a person’s destiny. People of integrity are people who love, seek, and cling to truth. They also require truth from others. If you want relationships you can trust, coming to an agreement about integrity and truth is not only wise, it is necessary.
An Absolute Refusal to Compromise on Core Values
One sure sign that an individual is a person of integrity is his or her refusal to compromise on the core values and priorities of life. This is true in the little things, such as not keeping extra change that may be received from a cashier; and in the big things, such as saying, “No. I will not under any circumstances alter that expense report or alter those records!” and meaning it.
As I have read or heard about people who are willing to compromise on important issues, I have made an interesting observation: whatever people compromise their integrity to keep, they ultimately lose. They may get the short-term gratification they desire, but they lose the treasure they already have.
To prove the point that people lose what they compromise to keep, think about some of the major corporate scandals that have plagued American businesses since the beginning of the twenty-first century. For example, a chief executive officer at a large energy company called Enron wanted to keep his job and make his company look good, so he devised a plan to inflate the stock price to keep people from knowing that the company was in financial trouble. Because the reports were not accurate, that man, Jeffrey Skilling, ended up not only losing his job but also going to prison. Many, many former employees were hurt in the scheme, especially elderly people who depended on Enron to provide what had been promised to them during their retirement years.
Much like Jeffrey Skilling, Bernard (Bernie) Madoff was a husband, father, and business executive who traded his freedom and life of luxury for a 150-year prison sentence, all because he was willing to compromise his character. Madoff engineered an elaborate scheme that defrauded thousands of investors of billions of dollars. His deceptive promise of high-yield gains led countless individuals to trust him, but in the end led to the demise of his wealth andtheirs. At one point, Madoff and his wife had an estimated net worth of almost $823 million. They lived lavishly: multiple homes in various parts of the world, access to shares in two private jets, and a fifty-five-foot yacht on the French Riviera. 1 Madoff chose to compromise the truth, and the end result was the loss of material possessions; a full-scale investigation of several family members who worked for him; and the suicide of his oldest son, who worked alongside him. 2 All this tragedy and heartbreak happened because of his lack of integrity and his tolerance for dishonest compromise.
Many of us could never imagine compromising in the same manner as Skilling and Madoff. Fabricate records and defraud people out of millions of dollars? Never! But have you ever been in a situation where the right choice was apparent, but a slightly different choice, ultimately the wrong choice, seemed to promise personal gain with few negative consequences for others?
Genesis 3 tells a story much like those of modern-day financial disasters. Adam receives specific instructions from God. Eve, even in the face of temptation, understands those instructions but makes a conscious decision to compromise. Not knowing that their decision will affect their lives and ours, they eat from the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden. Yes, they chose to be disobedient, but their actions reveal a willingness to compromise their integrity. Their seemingly small decision
When people value truth over everything else, good relationships grow stronger. Bad ones may come to an end; and while that is painful, it can also be crucial to a person’s destiny. People of integrity are people who love, seek, and cling to truth. They also require truth from others. If you want relationships you can trust, coming to an agreement about integrity and truth is not only wise, it is necessary.
An Absolute Refusal to Compromise on Core Values
One sure sign that an individual is a person of integrity is his or her refusal to compromise on the core values and priorities of life. This is true in the little things, such as not keeping extra change that may be received from a cashier; and in the big things, such as saying, “No. I will not under any circumstances alter that expense report or alter those records!” and meaning it.
As I have read or heard about people who are willing to compromise on important issues, I have made an interesting observation: whatever people compromise their integrity to keep, they ultimately lose. They may get the short-term gratification they desire, but they lose the treasure they already have.
To prove the point that people lose what they compromise to keep, think about some of the major corporate scandals that have plagued American businesses since the beginning of the twenty-first century. For example, a chief executive officer at a large energy company called Enron wanted to keep his job and make his company look good, so he devised a plan to inflate the stock price to keep people from knowing that the company was in financial trouble. Because the reports were not accurate, that man, Jeffrey Skilling, ended up not only losing his job but also going to prison. Many, many former employees were hurt in the scheme, especially elderly people who depended on Enron to provide what had been promised to them during their retirement years.
Much like Jeffrey Skilling, Bernard (Bernie) Madoff was a husband, father, and business executive who traded his freedom and life of luxury for a 150-year prison sentence, all because he was willing to compromise his character. Madoff engineered an elaborate scheme that defrauded thousands of investors of billions of dollars. His deceptive promise of high-yield gains led countless individuals to trust him, but in the end led to the demise of his wealth andtheirs. At one point, Madoff and his wife had an estimated net worth of almost $823 million. They lived lavishly: multiple homes in various parts of the world, access to shares in two private jets, and a fifty-five-foot yacht on the French Riviera. 1 Madoff chose to compromise the truth, and the end result was the loss of material possessions; a full-scale investigation of several family members who worked for him; and the suicide of his oldest son, who worked alongside him. 2 All this tragedy and heartbreak happened because of his lack of integrity and his tolerance for dishonest compromise.
Many of us could never imagine compromising in the same manner as Skilling and Madoff. Fabricate records and defraud people out of millions of dollars? Never! But have you ever been in a situation where the right choice was apparent, but a slightly different choice, ultimately the wrong choice, seemed to promise personal gain with few negative consequences for others?
Genesis 3 tells a story much like those of modern-day financial disasters. Adam receives specific instructions from God. Eve, even in the face of temptation, understands those instructions but makes a conscious decision to compromise. Not knowing that their decision will affect their lives and ours, they eat from the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden. Yes, they chose to be disobedient, but their actions reveal a willingness to compromise their integrity. Their seemingly small decision
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