500+ Words Integrity Essay
Integrity is one of the key pillars of social well-being, and prosperity of individuals, as well as society as a whole. Honesty forms the indispensable foundation of integrity and is a prerequisite for the full realisation of trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Upholding the values of integrity is the duty of each individual. As per the dictionary, integrity means moral values and principles, uprightness and honesty, incorruptibility and soundness, and consistency between one’s actions and principles, methods and measures. This Integrity essay will help students to know the meaning of integrity, its importance in individual life, and examples of people who live their life with integrity. Students can also go through the list of CBSE Essays to practise writing essays on different topics. Doing so will help them to participate in various essay writing competitions conducted at the school level.
What is Integrity?
The word integrity has evolved from the Latin word integer which means “complete” or “whole”. This suggests that for achieving integrity, something has to be whole and undivided. It refers to the concept of living by one’s values and principles. The current conceptualization of integrity is the combination of consistency in words and actions with adherence to morality and values in the actions. Living with integrity means being true and authentic to our code of beliefs or worldview.
Individual Integrity
At the individual level, integrity is all about the character of the individual. These characteristics of an individual include transparency, compassion, honesty and ethics. Integrity in these principles is vital to effective leadership. Individuals should preserve their own integrity as a leader by recognising what’s most important to them and abiding by the principles they represent. They must challenge themselves to lead in a way that reflects their responsibility to the position they occupy. The six fundamental character traits that help in building individual integrity are connecting with others, facing the truth, getting results, embracing the negative, focusing on growth, and willingness to learn new things. Finally, integrity also means understanding that true greatness comes from serving something greater than yourself.
Integrity in Business
At the corporate level, integrity refers to a willingness to stick to certain policies, ethics, and leadership philosophy. Organisations with high integrity are characterised as organisations that are collaborative, constructive, innovative, transparent, and with high employee morale. They build great teams and create value. Studies have shown that corporations with a culture of integrity tend to have higher-quality of earnings. They tend to be good places to work, competitive in markets, and provide higher, more predictable returns.
Examples of Integrity
There are various examples of integrity in real life. Let’s take the life story of our great leader Mahatma Gandhi who lived his life with integrity. He followed the path of truth and non-violence throughout his life. He called off the Non-Cooperation movement to maintain integrity with his principle of non-violence. He did not compromise with integrity even though many people were against his decision to cancel the Non- Cooperation movement at the national level. He opted to follow the path of truth and integrity even in the most testing times.
Integrity helps a person to be honest, loyal and committed to his work. One of the real-life examples is Mr. Ashok Khemka. He was an IAS officer of the 1991 batch. He was in the Haryana Cadre and was transferred fifty-one times in his 24 years of Civil Service career. He was awarded for his effort in exposing corruption at the highest level. He got S. R. Jindal Prize in 2011 for ‘his crusade against corruption’.
Conclusion
Living with integrity doesn’t guarantee success or fame. But people are certainly far more likely to feel passionate about their work. They can tackle challenges with energy and fortitude. They can easily inculcate integrity in their nature if their actions are in line with their values and beliefs, and their efforts are directed toward something they truly believe in.
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