Integrity: Inside and Out

Our English word “integrity” comes from the Latin word integritas,
meaning completeness and purity. It can be defined as “rigid adherence
to a code of behavior. It is a state of being unimpaired; soundness.”

Integrity in a business sense could be defined as honesty. It is doing
what you say you will do. Keeping your word is the heart of integrity.
It means that you honor a commitment you have made even if it costs
you time, money, or effort.

Your integrity is more important than your money, your time, or your
labor. You can get back money that you invested to keep your
integrity. Your time and your labor are investments when given to keep
your integrity. Good investments will bring significant returns.
However, if you lose your integrity trying to make more money or to
save your time and labor you will have great difficulty regaining it.

A young man worked for a grocer in the early years of the 20th
century. One day he came home and told his father how they were able
to make more money by falsifying the weights on their scales. Upon
hearing the story the father told his son that he was to resign from
that grocery store the next day and never again misrepresent the truth
on any issue. That young boy was J.C. Penney. He built a department
store that began with a foundation of integrity.

Integrity is not something we practice in order to get more business.
It is who we are regardless of the consequences. Integrity must come
from within our hearts, into our minds, and work out into our actions.

But where is the source of integrity? What law or power decides right
and wrong? The most consistent document addressing integrity issues
that has been in existence for the longest period of time is the
Bible. George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the
world without God and the Bible. What children need to learn above all
is the religion of Jesus Christ. To learn this will make them greater
and happier than they already are. Without a humble imitation of the
Divine Author of our blessed religion we can never hope to be a happy
nation…”

Most people must be taught integrity. By using the Bible as an
absolute authority, there is a basis for integrity. Without a clear
standard that is from a source higher than man, many folks establish
their own levels of integrity, which we simply define as corruption.

All of us need a compass that consistently points the same direction.
Divine truth from God’s Word can help you have personal integrity,
which is the basis for integrity in business

People want integrity. They are looking for businesses they can trust.
Honesty is the best policy. Integrity must become the bottom line. If
you practice integrity along with hard work, good business principles,
and smart thinking, you can experience long-lasting success. Integrity
will keep you in the race all the way through the finish line.

Publisher’s Note:
Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty was a great advocate for PERFORMANCE
Magazine from its inception here in Tulsa and his passing will be
greatly missed by the staff, all of our readers, and those he touched
both locally and internationally.