"Bad men cannot make good citizens. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience are incompatible with freedom."
Patrick Henry
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."
Thomas Jefferson
"In circumstances dark as these, it becomes us, as Men and Christians, to reflect that, whilst every prudent Measure should be taken to ward off the impending Judgements... All confidence must be withheld from the Means we use; and reposed only on that GOD who rules in the Armies of Heaven, and without whose Blessing the best human Counsels are but Foolishness--and all created Power Vanity...."
John Hancock
Integrity by definition is the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards. If we are to maintain the high values set by our founding fathers, maintaining integrity on our jobs must be a goal for all men. So where do we start to meet this challenge?
During my thirty-nine years as an educator I found, like in all jobs, there were always surprises that we could not control or keep from happening. It is what we did with and how we handled these situations that determined what kind of day we had. Colleen C. Barrett while serving as President and chief operating officer for Southwest Airlines Company said, “Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun.”
What I’ve learned about work is the kind of day I was going to have was often determined by me, long before I got there. If I left home with a negative attitude I usually had a negative day. We need to leave for work with a positive attitude, listen to radio stations that instill good feelings and we should try to engage in positive thoughts and conversations on the way there. We need to make every effort to treat our coworkers with the same respect we expect from them. We need to demonstrate behavior that is patient of others, using language that has no profanity or harshness. We as men have the power to lead others in positive modeling. We can discourage gossip and poor taste. We can do what is right all the time, regardless of what others do. Being generous, caring and forgiving are qualities that are admired and generate respect. Nothing I have mentioned here is that profound. I do know that realizing these things did not always make me behave at my best. With forty hours a week exposure it was easy not to be a constant role model. Looking back, many of my weaker moments could have been prevented if I only would have reminded myself of how fortunate I was. We are so blessed to live in this great country. Our standard of living and the freedoms we enjoy puts most of the world to shame. If we keep this sense of appreciation alive in us, our daily challenges won’t seem as difficult and we can more easily be that person of integrity in the workplace.
“The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.” Thomas Pain (1737-1809), author, revolutionary, pamphleteer