322 Global Ethics for Leadership
wrong, no wrong will ever come to you. Do not plough the ground to
plant seeds of injustice; you may reap a seven-fold bigger harvest than
you expect. Don't ask the Lord for a place of honour or ask the king for
an important position. Don't try to convince the Lord that you are right-
eous or make a show of your wisdom before the king. Don't set your
heart on being a judge, unless you have the strength of character it takes
to put an end to injustice. If you let yourself be influenced by someone
in a position of power, your integrity will be damaged. Don't commit
any crime against the general public, and don't disgrace yourself among
your townspeople. (Sirach 7:2-7)
26.6 Integrity as a Modern Virtue for Individuals
We can summarize the Christian description of a person with integrity
as follows:
Integrity is a combination and integration of many virtues: honesty,
respect, responsibility, transparency, righteousness, trustworthiness,
probity, uprightness, honourableness, morality, high-mindedness, right-
mindedness and following God’s rules on justice, peace and love. Integ-
rity is to comply with one’s own values and convictions. For Christians,
this means to act in conformity with God’s will. Integrity is doing the
right thing, even when no one is watching (C.S. Lewis) and doing what
is necessary and not only what is profitable. A truthful person acts out of
intrinsic motivation and not the contrary. A truthful person respects and
implements laws and regulations. He/she has the courage to act correct-
ly without being followed by the crowd, without being applauded by the
authorities, or without fear of financial losses. The person with integrity
can distinguish conflicts of interest and solve them in a transparent way.
The person with integrity can recognize his own mistakes and those of
others, and to correct them, accepting his own limits and the need for
collaboration with others.