Monday Values: Integrity
Integrity is when conscience wins — even at personal cost.
Most of my adult life, I’ve been church shopping. Looking for a place where I could connect, where my husband could connect, where community actually felt like community.
But it hasn’t been simple. My history with religious conflict makes it hard to trust churches. The comfort of childhood traditions eventually turned into being asked for blind faith, which turned into doubt. I could sit in a pew hearing sermons about love and kindness, but beneath the surface whole groups of people were silently excluded from that love.
That experience left me with a deep sensitivity to glitter without substance. And it’s not just churches. Companies, nonprofits, and individuals can get caught up in image — the polished pitch, the sparkling first impression, the promises that sound good but hide the fine print.
Integrity cuts through all of that. It asks the harder questions:
Are you just a sales pitch 100% of the time, or are you actually serving your clients?
Do your employees and colleagues experience the same care behind the scenes as what you project in public?
Does your community benefit from what you’re building, or are they just a backdrop for your image?
Integrity is refusing to hide behind glitter and glam. It’s showing up with honesty, even when it costs. It’s leading with conscience, not convenience.
Because in the end, people know. Employees know when the values on the wall aren’t lived in the hall. Clients know when they’re being sold instead of served. Communities know when they’re being used instead of loved.
Integrity is the choice to align who you say you are with what you actually do — without fine print, without exceptions.
Where are you tempted to polish the surface instead of telling the truth?
What’s the “fine print” in your own leadership that needs to be removed?
What would it look like to lead without glitter — only with integrity?
With love,
Sheila
👉 Good Company is a growing community where leaders practice values like integrity together. As we expand, we’ll be offering retreats, coaching, and mentorship groups designed to help you align your inner values with your leadership. If this resonates, I’d love for you to be part of the journey:
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