Integrity

A way of life
for vigilance awareness
week
 Integrity

l Integrity is a value, like persistence, courage and industriousness

lEven more than that, it is the value that guarantees all the other
values

You are a good person to the degree to which you live your life
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consistent with the highest values that you espouse

Integrity is the quality that locks in your values and causes you to live
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consistent with them

l Integrity is the foundation of character

Working on your character means disciplining yourself to do more and

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more of those things that a thoroughly honest person would do, under
all circumstances.
 Integrity

Lose your wealth and you have lost nothing.

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Lose your health and you have lost

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something.
Lose your integrity and you have lost
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everything.
 Integrity

Is the inner voice that warns us

Somebody
is
Looking
Seven Steps towards Integrity
 1: Doing What We Say We Will do

A person of integrity keeps his/her word

Example: You tell your friend, “Hey, I’ll meet you at Mysore City tomorrow at
5:00.” You find out that your mom can’t give you a ride. What would a person
of integrity do?

Case Study: “Abraham Lincoln Keeps His Promises”

Abraham Lincoln, who became the sixteenth president of the

United States, once traveled in a stagecoach with a military man, a
colonel, from the state of Kentucky. “After riding a number of miles
together, the colonel took a bottle of whiskey out of his pocket, and
said, ‘Mr. Lincoln, won’t you take a drink with me?’

“Mr. Lincoln replied, ‘No, Colonel, thank you, I never drink

whiskey.’
They rode along together for a number of miles more, visiting very
 “And Mr. Lincoln said, ‘Now Colonel, you are such a fine, agreeable man to
travel with, maybe I ought to take a smoke with you. But before I do so, let me tell
you a little story—an experience I had when a small boy.’ And this was the story:

‘My mother called me to her bed one day when I was about nine years old.
She was sick, very sick, and she said to me, “Abey, the doctor tells me I am not
going to get well. I want you to promise me before I go that you will never use
whiskey or tobacco as long as you live.” And I promised my mother I never would.
And up to this hour, Colonel, I have kept that promise. Now would you advise me to
break that promise to my dear mother, and take a smoke with you?’ …

“‘No, Mr. Lincoln, I wouldn’t have you do it for the world. It was one of the
best promises you ever made. And I would give a thousand dollars today if I had
made my mother a promise like that, and kept it as you have done’”
 2: Taking Responsibility

A person of integrity is willing to be totally responsible for his/her

actions.

This means that a person of integrity does not blame other people for things

Example: I drop my mom’s favorite glass, and my little brother is right next to
me. What would a person of integrity do?

Case Study: George Washington and the Cherry Tree

When George was about six years old, he was made the wealthy
master of a hatchet of which, like most little boys, he was extremely fond. He
went about chopping everything that came his way.

One day, as he wandered about the garden amusing himself by

hacking his mother's pea sticks, he found a beautiful, young English cherry
tree, of which his father was most proud. He tried the edge of his hatchet on
the trunk of the tree and barked it so that it died.
 Some time after this, his father discovered what had happened to his
favorite tree. He came into the house in great anger, and demanded to know who the
mischievous person was who had cut away the bark. Nobody could tell him anything
about it.
Just then George, with his little hatchet, came into the room.

"George,'' said his father, "do you know who has killed my beautiful little
cherry tree yonder in the garden? I would not have taken five guineas for it!''
This was a hard question to answer, and for a moment George was staggered by it,
but quickly recovering himself he cried:
"I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a lie! I did cut it with my little
hatchet.''

The anger died out of his father's face, and taking the boy tenderly in his
arms, he said:
"My son, that you should not be afraid to tell the truth is more to me than a
thousand trees! Yes - though they were blossomed with silver and had leaves of the
purest gold!'
 3: Taking care of ourselves

A person of integrity can support him/herself, and doesn’t depend on other

people for everything. This includes taking care of your needs and stay physically fit
and have enough money.

Example: Mom has been giving me lunch money all my life, but now I have a job.
What would a person of integrity do?

Story : The Grasshopper and the Ants

In a field one summer's day a grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and
singing to its heart's content. A group of ants walked by, grunting as they struggled
to carry plump kernels of corn.
"Where are you going with those heavy things?" asked the grasshopper.
Without stopping, the first ant replied, "To our ant hill. This is the third kernel I've
delivered today."
"Why not come and sing with me," teased the grasshopper, "instead of working so
hard?"
"We are helping to store food for the winter," said the ant, "and
think you should do the same."

"Winter is far away and it is a glorious day to play," sang the

grasshopper.
But the ants went on their way and continued their hard work.

The weather soon turned cold. All the food lying in the field
was covered with a thick white blanket of snow that even the
grasshopper could not dig through. Soon the grasshopper
found itself dying of hunger.

He staggered to the ants' hill and saw them handing out corn
from the stores they had collected in the summer. He begged
them for something to eat.
"What!" cried the ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything
 4: Thinking of the big picture

People of integrity think of how everyone else around them is doing. They often ask
the question, “Is this good for everyone, or just me?”

Example: Johnny is excited because he learned how to make whistles with his
mouth. He gets into class and everyone is writing. What would a person of integrity
do?

“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?

Spock in Star Trek II. He sacrificed his own life to save his crew of 400.
 5: Respecting others

A person of integrity will “think of other people as better than him/herself,”

give other people honor, and expect to receive from other people.

Example: A kid sits next to you whom you never talked to before. You saw him with
another kid that has been mean to you before. What would a person of integrity do?

Case Study: Father Flanagan

In 1917, he opened an orphanage called boys town. He understood that

mistreated or orphaned children were at a high risk of turning to delinquency and
crime. Boys town rapidly filled up with the arrival of additional children some of which
even wandered off the streets and through the home's unlocked doors of their own
accord. He believed that there are no bad boys. There is only bad environment, bad
training and bad thinking. By treating children kindly and with respect, boys town
continues Flanagan's work today by saving children and healing families today.
 6: Checking the mirror

A person of integrity looks at themselves, and always wants to improve

him/herself. Also, a person of integrity can admit when something is
wrong with him/her.

Example: Johnny’s friends tell him that he cusses to much. What would a
person of integrity do?

Story : A Tortoise, lazily basking in the sun, complained to the sea-birds of her hard fate, that
no one would teach her to fly.
An Eagle, hovering near, heard her lamentation and asked what reward she would give him if
he would take her aloft and float her in the air.
“I will give you,” the Tortoise said, “all the riches of the Red Sea.”
“I will teach you to fly then,” said the Eagle; and taking her up in his talons he carried the
Tortoise almost to the clouds.
Suddenly the Eagle let the Tortoise go, and she fell on a lofty mountain, dashing her shell to
pieces.
The Tortoise exclaimed just before she died: “I have deserved my present fate; why did I think I
was meant for wings and clouds, when I have such difficulty moving about on the earth?
 7: Stand up for what is right and wrong

A person of integrity will live the truth, what is right, no matter what other
people do or say.

A person of integrity will stand up and speak if something wrong is happening.

Example: All of Johnny’s friends are smoking cigarettes behind the school. They
want him to join in. What would a person of integrity do?

Story: The Dog and the Wolf

A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he happened to meet a
House-dog who was passing by. "Ah, Cousin," said the Dog.
"I knew how it would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruin of you. Why do you
not work steadily as I do, and get your food regularly given to you?”
"I would have no objection," said the Wolf, "if I could only
get a place.”
"I will easily arrange that for you," said the Dog; "come with
me to my master and you shall share my work.”
So the Wolf and the Dog went towards the town together.

On the way there the Wolf noticed that the hair on a certain part of the
Dog's neck was very much worn away, so he asked him how that had come about.
"Oh, it is nothing," said the Dog. "That is only the place
where the collar is put on at night to keep me chained up; it
chafes a bit, but one soon gets used to it.”
"Is that all?" said the Wolf. "Then good-bye to you, Master
Dog."

Better starve free than be a fat slave.

 Primary Areas in Life

The first area of integrity has to do with your relationship with your family and your friends.
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Psychologists have determined that most stress and negativity comes from attempting to
live in a way that is not congruent with your highest values.

The second area of integrity has to do with your attitude and behavior towards money.
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Third area of integrity has to do with your commitments to others, especially in your
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business, your work and your sales activities.

 Objectives of Vigilance

lPrevention of corruption
lPromotion of Integrity

lPromotion of Vigilance consciousness

lEffecting system improvement

lAdvise suitable administrative or disciplinary action

 CORRUPTION

As per Transparency International:

Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.

It hurts everyone who depends on the integrity of people in a position of authority.

Monopoly + Discretion - Accountability = Corruption

Causes of Corruption

l Administrative delays

l Government taking upon themselves more than what they can manage by way of regulatory functions.

Scope for personal discretion in the exercise of powers vested in different categories of government
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servants.

Cumbersome procedures of dealing with various matters which are of importance of citizens in their
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day to day affairs.

 RESULTS OF TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL SURVEY

The Corruption 10
Corruption Perception Index
Perceptions Index 9
on a scale from '10' to '0'
8
shows 3/4th of the 178 7
countries in the index 6
score – below 5 points. 5
4

On a scale from ‘10’ 3

2
(highly clean)to ‘0’ 1
(highly corrupt) 0
 Trust, Ethics, Integrity

Why an ethical work environment is important

l Promotes goodwill and respect within and outside the firm

Acts as a psychological constraint against unethical, and criminal

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behavior

l Acts as a form of internally derived social control

l Impacts viability and profitability

Do not overlook negative actions merely because
they are small; however small a spark may be, it
can burn down a haystack as big as a mountain…
Lord Budha