The Truth is, Integrity is Valued by Marc LeVine

It can be argued that INTEGRITY, is the most important of all the soft skills. Integrity builds trust, among others. Without trust, it is impossible to open ourselves up to those whose agenda’s may include taking advantage of us in some way.

Those of us who live by our deepest values; are honest with everyone, and always keep our word are said to have integrity and be considered trustworthy. But, integrity has been under attack in recent years and become harder to achieve in the eyes of others.

Politics, main and niche media silos and the “ways of the web” have done a great disservice to the concept of Integrity. So many of those we once considered admirable have been undone – deservedly, wrongfully, or accidentally. This has been to our great dismay and disappointment. After a while, we begin to ask ourselves – “who can we trust?”?

Take heart that there are many more trustworthy people around us than sinister ones. We just do not seem to appreciate them enough nor do we sufficiently compensate them for their admirable behaviors with general praise. Rewarding good behaviors tends to reinforce them and sends the right message to others – especially impressionable children.

It is refreshing to still find people with integrity these days. Too many among us have cast this valued trait aside in favor of adopting on outlook of extreme cynicism and even narcissism. This, in a world that has increasingly taken on the mantra of “I don’t know you, so I don’t care.” ?Relationships have become far too transactional and much about getting what one wants - now - before moving on to their next agenda item.

Integrity, produces the feeling we can drop our guard and interact with another more openly with minimal risk of hurt or loss. We know that those with integrity never deliberately share secrets and confidential information with others. They avoid gossip and remain honest in all their interactions; never looking to “stir the pot” to create unnecessary controversy and drama to set themselves up for some “payday.”

People with integrity keep their promises and follow-through on them with great alacrity. They will most often do things to help others without expecting any kind of reward in return. And, when they are wrong, they will let others know.

At work, team members with high integrity support one another to meet their companies’ goals by sharing time, resources, constructive feedback, and advice. It is rarely about them and all about team success. Those with integrity are unselfish and are rarely looking for praise. But that does not mean praise should not be offered to them for being selfless and acting as admirable role models to those they may inspire. It pays to have integrity, because with it comes a great deal of respect.

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The Author

Listen to Marc's latest interview on The AutomationBlog Podcast with Shawn Tierney.

Marc LeVine?is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021. His prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ