The Essence of Integrity: Part I - A Paradigm Shift

I'm delighted to be reading 'Beyond High Performance' by Jason Jaggard. It explores a new paradigm, transitioning from high performance to what's known as 'meta performance' and delves into how the best individuals achieve even greater success. There was a lengthy discussion on how to get more done, in less time, with more satisfaction.?Who wouldn’t want that!?And this was wrapped around the concept of Integrity.?

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I found this eye opening because I realized that I had this concept both right and wrong.? Right in that Integrity is knowing that things work when people do what they say they’re going to do, when they say they’re going to do it.?Wrong because I used to say Integrity - “you either have it or you don’t”.?That it’s something that’s instilled in you when growing up.?What I learned here is that in the context of honoring commitments, everyone has integrity. It’s just a question of how much they dial in and consistently apply it.?Like a volume knob, how loud are they turning up the volume.?And fortunately the commitments that are being honored can be good or moral, or unfortunately, bad and immoral.? ?

One of our core values at Planned is Integrity.?We have always defined it as doing what you say you’re going to do, being accountable, being responsive, having open and honest dialogue. With that at the core, with genuine pride and professionalism, we strive to always honor our commitments.?But there are times when things happen – without having to question someone’s integrity. Someone can be late for a meeting, but have all the right intentions. Someone can miss an email and have all the right intentions.? Just as long as it’s the aberration, and not the rule.?Go for 100% of your commitments 100% of the time.?That’s aspirational and we should be fiercely advocating for that.? ?

In the book, the author mentions one of the best forms of self-care is increasing the level of integrity you have. What an amazing feeling to do what you say you’re going to do, to check items off the list and to put your head on the pillow at night, knowing that you honored your commitments.? We at Planned focus on numerous aspects of our work to strive to be the best service providers we can possibly be.?And with Integrity, we keep the volume at the highest decibel.?I do love this definition and understanding of integrity, and how it can impact the culture of an organization, the service delivery and brand prominence.

Exciting and stay tuned for Part II….