Integrity In Management And Students
Integrity, a core value that reflects a person’s character and credibility is a very important aspect which has to be nurtured in the classroom as a student and then applied in the real world. Integrity is about doing the right thing when given a choice. Be it as a student or as a manager in a world class corporation, one has to have integrity to be successful. Without integrity success does not have any meaning to it. People respect a leader with integrity and they look up at them.
As a student, you begin to work under pressure which in turn tests our moral values. Especially in a post-secondary education, students are asked to do many research papers, prepare journals, in the form of assignments to test the true knowledge of a student and to prepare them into a personality to cope with the professional work environment. But when a student compromises his/her integrity by cheating, it results in lack of credibility which in turn reflects into the workforce and impacts professional goals.
A person is not born with moral values like integrity, honesty and respect. One learns it while growing up from parents, teachers and in the classroom. And it is in the classroom that their integrity is challenged. Copying assignments and plagiarizing essays may help students temporarily in getting good grades. But come exam time, they are faced with something they do not have an answer to. This is where teachers help instill integrity by rewarding effort and originality and not just grading the work. Students learn that doing the right thing is more important than the consequences.
In the real world, the conduct of top management directly influences its employees in the organisation. A manager of an organisation should be a person whom the employers look up to. A good manager should be able to make right decisions, understand his employees, support and lead them to fulfill organisations goals. When faced with making difficult decisions, a manager should make integrity the top priority and demand the same from his subordinates. Integrity should never be sacrificed in running for profits.
Furthermore, todays business is not just about raking in more profits. Corporations around the world now take pride in being successful ethically, responsibly and with integrity. Having a code of conduct does not mean anything unless you have everyone practising it. It has to be implemented in a practical and meaningful way. When the CEO of the corporation to the lowest ranked employee starts practising integrity, it raises the morale of the company and helps in bringing in more business, and in the end success. Customers look forward to do business with corporations which have good business ethics. Having and upholding values makes the customer feel secure and valued.
As a manager, one has to maintain their integrity to be seen as a respected leader. The manager has to set the tone for the rest of his/her team. If the manager fails to keep his/her integrity, he/she has failed as a leader. Integrity in a manager can be seen by their actions. Does he/she keep his/her word? Do they make fair and impartial decisions? Do they notice hard work and give credit where and to whom it is due? Do they take credit for something the team has done and fails to share the success and the rewards with the team? And do they have what it takes to communicate honestly even when the news is bad? All it takes is one small lapse of judgement or inaction to lose the trust of a subordinate. And once trust is broken, it is very almost impossible to repair.
In conclusion, it does not matter if you are a student or a management professional, integrity is a key skill that has to be valued in both personal and professional life. Be a person with high integrity, who always stands for the right thing and are least influenced by any circumstances that convince you to lose your moral value.
