Why Integrity is the New Career Superpower — And How You Can Use It
Did you ever wish you had a superpower which would make you stand out from the crowd — in your job, or maybe even in your private life? In this post, I will show you one superpower we all have inside of us, and which can transform both your career and also your personal life.
What Are Superpowers?
A superpower is not some mythical skill from the world of magic, but a talent or character trait which, if practiced consciously, may seem like magic to others.
How did she manage to persuade her team leader when nobody else could?
How come clients always listen to him?
Why is this couple so good at communicating and resolving differences?
There are many superpowers people can have, and it often takes quite some time to determine these strengths so that they can be nurtured and ultimately used.
There is one superpower, however, which everyone has. In most people it lays dormant, but it so happens that in our present time this superpower is quickly gaining in importance.
Let me show you why.
Changing Communication Habits Are Affecting Our Behaviour — And Not in a Good Way
Over the past few years, humans have produced more content than ever, in shorter intervals, with an increasing level of ferocity. Social media posts have gotten louder, shorter, structured in the breaking news style promoted by the big social platforms, and discussion has largely turned into shouting matches where everyone is on constant transmit with nobody really listening.
(I will not go into detail here regarding the effects this development has on humans. If you are interested, there is a great study and also a very good Medium post on this subject).
Interestingly enough, there is a genuine interest for communication with other human beings, but social media has done something to us which is commonly known as sensory overload. Our minds are not designed to handle such a high level of input, and while we might be able to adapt to it, the changes are just happening too fast. So what do we do? We switch off.
I have observed some very disconcerting changes in human behaviour amongst my own contacts and friends. The most prominent is an increasing lack of responsiveness and reliability, even from people whom I have known for many years as friends or business contacts. Conversations sometimes just die — and as a result, so do relationships with people.
Now why is this relevant to our topic? Because everyone has access to a superpower which is the remedy for this trend: Integrity.
How Does Integrity Impact Our Daily Lives?
To understand what integrity means, consider how you feel when
- you reach out to someone repeatedly and get no response at all
- someone stops responding in an email or message conversation
- your colleague promises to deliver something and does not
- your partner claims to listen to your concerns but keeps checking their phone while you want to discuss an important matter
and compare it with how you feel when
- you reach out to someone and they reply that they are not the right person, but connect you with someone who can help you
- someone tells you that they are very busy and cannot reply during the next two weeks, but will get back to you — and then they do
- your colleague goes the extra mile to fulfil their promise to you, or let you know early on that they cannot deliver on time, allowing you some time to react
- your partner sets time aside for meaningful conversation on a regular basis, with phones off and nothing else happening but your conversation
The difference is what is defined as integrity. Wikipedia defines it as:
Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values.
Literally every time I have come across such behaviour in someone, it put a smile on my face. It made me feel I could count on that person, and that this person values and appreciates me.
People with integrity often succeed where others fail because they understand the power of human relationships and use this knowledge to their advantage.
How, I hear you ask? Here is how you can implement integrity into your life.
The Four Golden Rules of Integrity At Work
- Respond to all communication
Reply to every message, email or call. If you are currently busy, send a short message saying so, and then get back to them later. Even with unwanted or slightly spammy messages: You can let them know why it sounds like something you don’t want to reply to, so they can learn (although that is optional).
2. Deliver work as promised
If you say you will do something by a certain date, make sure you deliver, in full and on time. If you can’t, let those affected know as early as possible. This is simple courtesy and gives them a chance to adjust.
3. Communicate your principles
Stating your personal principles, in person or in writing, is very powerful. It shows you have reflected on your values and the impact you wish to have, and turned it into a promise. This provides other people with an idea of what to expect when interacting with you, and helps them overcome uncertainty.
4. Keep your commitments realistic
It sounds so simple, yet seems so challenging: Take on only as much as you can handle! Saying no to someone feels uncomfortable to most people at first, but the alternative is you being overloaded with work, unable to deliver and ultimately letting other people down. So by keeping your commitments realistic, you help
How Integrity Improves Your Productivity
Does this sound like a lot of work to you? You won’t be judged for thinking so. To really live with integrity means you cannot slack off where most people do.
However, fear not: it can actually save you time, so you may be more efficient than before! Here is how you do it:
- Communication: Check messages and emails at certain points during your day. You decide your own rhythm, but only check them at those times. Since you are in charge of your priorities, do not give in to pushy follow-ups. They can wait.
- Delivery: Plan ahead and with contingency for outside factors when agreeing to deadlines. And communicate any threats to your timing, and do it early. It will reduce both your stress level and that of others.
- Principles: The beauty of actively communicating your principles is that others will know what to expect of you, and those who do not agree with it will decide not to approach you. This helps avoid the inevitable clashes at a later stage, saving you a lot of time and headache.
- Commitments: If you only commit to what you are confident you can manage, you will spend less time frantically juggling different projects and instead be more focused on delivery. Who doesn’t like that?
Integrity is a Key Success Variables
For this article, I picked the most prominent use cases for integrity which came to my mind, based on what I experienced in the 12 years I have worked, in private interactions, and what I have learned from my coaching clients about their lives.
The key message to understand is:
Your integrity creates trust in others.
In today’s world of ever-increasing volume of digital (read: remote) communication, providing someone with a feeling of trust is the key. Reducing uncertainty and complexity for someone will win you access to their heart, and we know that decision making is, after all, emotional — even though we like to rationalise our decisions afterwards.
Develop your integrity if you wish to stand out from the crowd and receive more recognition for what you do when interacting with others —and achieve peace of mind for yourself by taking control of your commitments.
In a world where goods and services increasingly exist in abundance and are instantly available, integrity is the basis for something which is still very rare and valuable: TRUST.
I am an entrepreneur and coach, working with both individuals and teams to improve team collaboration as well as operational efficiency. In addition, I support professionals in their career development. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please feel free to reach out:
