Christian Leadership Alliance
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Leading with Integrity
Small decisions—big impact| Outcomes, Summer 2009
"We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants." —Omar Bradley, U.S. Army General
"The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life." —Theodore Roosevelt
The political and economic turmoil of 2008 powerfully validated the truth of these two observations. Greed and avarice marked the collapse of giant financial institutions and dashed dependence on unending prosperity in our country and the world. Would that have happened if the political and economic leaders had acted with absolute integrity?
What about churches and Christian ministries? Are we any less vulnerable? I think not. In my decades of leading in the Navigators and the U.S. Air Force, I learned the fundamental necessity of a life of integrity in leadership, undergirded by a clear set of principles of integrity.
Integrity is the concept of wholeness. Synonyms are honesty, virtue, honor, morality, uprightness, soundness, and sincerity. Four verses help form the basis for biblical integrity: "The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out" (Prov. 10:9); "So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man" (Acts 24:16); "And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them" (Psalm 78:72); and, "He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall" (Prov. 28:18).
Integrity is an issue of the heart. It is rooted in our spiritual walk with God. C. S. Lewis stated it clearly in God in the Dock: "Moral collapse follows upon spiritual collapse." Above all, guard your daily walk with God.
Integrity is an issue of our actions. It is not just what we believe, but also what we do.
Integrity is an issue of others' perceptions. Reputation is key. "Dead flies in perfume make it stink, and a little foolishness decomposes much wisdom" (Eccl. 10:1).
How does integrity, or lack thereof, develop? No one becomes a liar, thief, or cheat in one sudden momentous decision, but rather in a series of innocuous, seemingly minor choices. When we dig our grave ethically or morally, it is not with a big ditch digger, but with a small teaspoon, one little decision at a time. Wrong moral decisions are built on small indiscretions over time—a small plagiarism, minor cheating, a few white lies, giving an impression that lies without words, or a private indulgence in morally questionable practices. Every decision counts.
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