Honesty and Integrity 21
thousand shekels were weighted out into my hands, I would not lift my
hand against the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you,
‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’ ’’ (2 Sam. 18:11–12)This low-ranking foot soldier showed true integrity, refusing to be
swayed by material reward or the wrath of his immediate superior. He
knew he was not ‘‘alone’’ in the woods; whatever he did, Absalom (and
perhaps a higher power) would see.
The New Testament also has many references to honesty and integ-
rity, such as this passage from Matthew: ‘‘Live as though God were
watching. Don’t do your good deeds in front of men only.’’ I worked
in an organization where one work group had put up a sign that said,
‘‘Do nothing you would not do if Jesus were coming. Say nothing you
would not say if Jesus were coming. Think nothing you would not
think if Jesus were coming.’’ The sign was needed, because there was a
lot of tension and dissension in the unit, due at least as much to the
nature of the work as to the personalities of the people. I can only
imagine how the unit would have functionedwithoutthe sign!
Paul Galvin, former CEO of Motorola, went by this credo: ‘‘Tell
them the truth, first because it’s the right thing to do and second be-
cause they’ll find out anyway.’’ Whether in the short run or in the long
run, dishonesty has a way of being exposed. And often, exposure hap-
pens just at the time when its purveyors can least afford it.
Employees are watching, not just in the electronics industry, but in
the airlines too. Gordon Bethune took over Continental Airlines at a
time when morale and trust were extremely low. He burned the proce-
dures manual, painted the planes, made the first profits the airline had
experienced in years, and delivered on a promised $65-per-employee
bonus for on-time performance. Employees were watching carefully to
see if he could be trusted; any failure to deliver on any of these promises
could have spelled the end of Continental’s revitalization.
And if you are a leader with a conscience,you are watching your-
self(you don’t need a chicken). Chris Graff, founder of Marque, an
Indiana-based ambulance manufacturer, says, ‘‘I guess it’s just a moral
or ethical decision for me. When we make a decision, we should be