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The Power of Listening | What's Your Definition of Success?

Enron, Worldcom and Adelphia are just a few of the casualties resulting from a widespread lack of integrity we have witnessed in Corporate America in the past few years. These companies, along with many others, sacrificed their integrity for prosperity, and the consequences were catastrophic.

Because a few individuals put their integrity on the sale rack and reaped temporary millions, thousands of people who worked for these greedy giants suffered terrible financial losses. Hundreds if not thousands of individuals' retirement accounts, which had taken years to build up, were wiped out in a matter of days as these companies' stocks hit rock bottom.

In the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance there is a scene where Rannulph Junah, played by Matt Damon, is participating in a closely contested golf match. The match had gone into the night with only the headlights from fans cars providing any sort of light to the players. In this particular scene, Rannulph is removing some debris away from his golf ball, but in doing so, it caused his ball to move. It moved so little that no one even noticed. Well, no one accept himself and his young caddie, Hardy, played by J. Michael Moncrief. Right there, with the match on the line Rannulph's integrity was being tested.

So the ball moved, no problem right? Wrong! In the game of golf, the ball that is in the fairway cannot be moved in this situation and a one-stroke penalty must be administered. Rannulph Junah's young caddie couldn't believe that Rannulph was actually going to penalize himself one-stroke when no one else saw what happened.

The young caddie would learn a powerful lesson that day. After listening to Hardy plead and beg Rannulph not to report the infraction because no one had seen the ball move. Rannulph responds with one of the most powerful statements in the entire movie. He tells the young caddie that it was wrong and dishonest because "I saw it move!"

The epitome of integrity is addressed within that one, small statement. Integrity does not depend on who did or didn't see you. In doesn't matter if the lights are on or off. A person of integrity calls his or her own fouls. Integrity is what you do and what you are when you're the only person around.

From his book Up From Slavery, Booker T. Washington describes meeting an ex-slave:

What Do You Get for Living a Life of Integrity?
A solid reputation is a direct result of conducting your personal and professional life with respect, passion and most importantly, integrity. There is no amount of money in the world that can restore a reputation to where it was before the offense took place.

A group of people who trust you in any circumstance, with any person, anywhere. Integrity is not determined by any "external" circumstance. Integrity is on the inside. When your life speaks of integrity people not only listen, but they tend to follow as well.

Peace of mind also encompasses the lives of those who have made a conscious choice to live a life of integrity. Although there may be chaos going on around them they still have mental peace because they know that at no time did they compromise their most important asset in order to calm the storms.

Can your integrity be bought? Do you bend the truth for quick gain? How much would it take for you to sell out to the lies and corruption that are so readily available to those looking for a shortcut? Remember, Judas sold Jesus out for only thirty pieces of silver. What's your asking price?

Is there anything in your life today that could cause someone to question your integrity? Remember, the worst place for a question mark is after the word integrity.

How can you shore up your life, personally and professionally to make sure that you are above reproach?

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