From Fit In Stand Out by Blythe McGarvie:
Integrity is honesty in action. Leadership without integrity results in dishonesty and corruption.
Historically, the integrity of corporate leaders has often been questioned. The Robber Barons of the late 19 th century were accused of building great personal fortunes by unsavory means. The public view of integrity in business has not improved markedly in the past quarter century.
Justified or not, with each lapse in integrity, the public demands a higher standard for corporate and leadership integrity. Corporations and their leaders must struggle against prevailing opinion to create trust, climbing upward step-by-step. Conversely, this trust, hard-won from stakeholders, the public, and the media, can be totally lost with a single ethical lapse, real or perceived.
