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Did you know that your integrity or lack of it also influences people’s perception of your Executive Presence?

Now believe it or not but it does and in this video I’m going to show you 7 ways to clearly show others your true integrity.

Prefer to read? Here’s the transcript

Hi, I’m Vatsala Shukla, Chief Encouragement Officer of Karmic Ally Coaching and before I show you these 7 ways, I wanted to actually give a bit of background about why it’s so important for me to talk about integrity to you.

You see, many times I’m asked questions on Quora from professionals who want to know whether they should embellish their resumes for jobs or how far they can actually go in, you know, writing lies on their resumes.

And each time, I have actually shown them and told them that it is not a good idea because employers do verifications and anything that turns up as being a falsehood on their resumes can actually lead to action and in some countries you can even get imprisoned for it because that is criminal.

Now what inspired me to talk about integrity today is a recent question where somebody asked me how much can I falsify my resume?

And I had to say, no you cannot because that is indicative of a lack in integrity.

And in fact, even if the person did manage to get the interview, the question is, what would happen when the employer would find out that he had lied? In fact, I want to ask you to consider it and answer this question….

That would you consider this person worthy of hiring?

I certainly wouldn’t because if you can lie in your resume, then God knows what else you can lie about. It shows a lack of integrity.

Now, Integrity is the type of concept that everyone knows, but sometimes they struggle to understand it because we know we want to have integrity, we know we want to work with people who have it.

But, we sometimes get lost on how to do it.

While living a life of integrity isn’t always easy, it is simple. There are going to be times when you are going to be in conflict and you will have to learn how to manage it.

But if you want to embrace integrity in your life, then just follow these seven steps:

#1 Know Your Values

The first and most important one is to Know Your Values because a big part of integrity is actually being true to your morals and values. And if you don’t take the time to define them, then it’s tough to be true to them, obviously.

So, take some time to brainstorm the values that are important for you. In fact, you can find resources on my website that can help you to do that.

#2 Strive for Honesty

The second one is to always strive for Honesty because that is another very important aspect of integrity.

You cannot claim to live with integrity if you are regularly telling lies. Which is coming back to the same question that I was asked about embellishing of the resume.

And if you find yourself in a spot where you feel you have to lie, then try to say nothing instead. Or be brave enough to tell the truth. People will respect you for that.

#3 Keep Your Promises

The third one is to keep your promises because a promise isn’t something to be thrown around lightly. And if you promise something to someone, you must try your best to make it work.

If you are the type of person who promises big things but never delivers, then nobody will take you seriously. In fact it shows that you’re not sincere.

#4 Show Compassion

The fourth one is Compassion and showing it. A lot of people tend to think being compassionate is a sign of weakness but it actually isn’t.

In fact people who are able to show compassion show that they have strength. If you are trying to live a life of great integrity, then treating others with respect and empathy should actually be the norm not the exception.

#5 Stand for Something

Now this one is one of my favorites and that is to stand for something.

I’m not saying that you have to be a social justice warrior or join organizations or go on a candle lit march, unless of course you want to, but you should have a cause (or a few) that you feel strong enough to stand up for.

It could be animal rights, it could be elderly abuse. It could be wildlife preservation, conservation, environmentalism. Anything. Something that you are passionate about because this shows you care about important things.

It shows you have a backbone, and are true to your values. And these are all characteristics of someone with integrity.

Now people may not always be happy if you stand up for something that you believe to be correct but at the end of the day they will respect you for taking a stand. So I suggest take a stand for something.

#6 Don’t Always Follow the Crowd

And then naturally don’t always follow the crowd. This is something you always have to remember – it’s always easier to follow the crowd.

And ask yourself, will this showcase my integrity?

If you believe in what the majority is saying, that is one thing. But if you have strong feelings about something, don’t be quieted just because you are in the minority.

And this is one reason why bullying often takes place in schools because the bully, the person who is doing the bullying is able to overwhelm others who may feel meek or feel scared that if they speak out against something which is wrong, then they might become the next target.

And yes, as children that is very scary but just as children may feel they are in a minority and may keep quiet that doesn’t mean that you as an adult should not speak out when it is time to speak up out, especially if you do not agree with the crowd.

#7 Be Humble

And then the last one is, be humble. Humility. There is nothing wrong with being proud of yourself.

There’s also nothing wrong with tooting your own horn or self-promoting yourself, especially if you’ve done a good job but everything has to be within limits.

People with integrity don’t feel the need to scream about their accomplishments (or worse, embellish them) constantly.

They don’t need to go on social media and keep bragging about themselves. Sometimes it’s good to be a little self-deprecating, be a little humble. People love humility.

So in all, when it comes to integrity, here are the points I’d like you to remember.

And that is, integrity means, you are who you say you are. You do what you say you’ll do and live according to the moral code you profess.

You do more than just being honest, ethical and compliant. And you do what’s right at all times and in all contexts despite the cost. You stay rooted in and true to your value base.

And you have an ongoing commitment to value fidelity. Your commitment to staying internally and externally true.

About Internal Congruence

Now when I mentioned staying in integrity internally and externally true, I want to point out a few things about internal congruence.

And what this means in terms of integrity is that when you are keenly aware of who you and what you value and you strive to make decisions in support of your values and that shows you are in integrity internally.

Your thoughts, words, and actions “match” are going to match what you value and believe to be morally good and right. And this is important because integrity makes it easier for others to trust which is important if you are aspiring to a Leadership role.

And all of this Internal Congruence part begins with self-awareness.

Because External Congruence would mean matching your values and your integrity with those of external forces, like with your employer or with your social situation but today, here we are just looking at you and your integrity.

Integrity Building Exercise

There’s a simple exercise you may want to try out.

And that is, it’s a 3 step one. Firstly, take some time to define your values right now. What is important to you? What do you truly believe in? And this was the first way that I had mentioned earlier.

Then make a list of the people in your life that you interact with regularly. Do any of these people suffer a severe lack of integrity? If yes, then consider how you might limit interactions with them.

Because if you are in the wrong kind of company then it is very easy to fall into their ways rather than maintaining those that are true to you.

And thirdly, as you might have guessed, is to choose a cause near and dear to your heart. This cause should fit in with the values you brainstormed earlier. And then figure out a way that you can support this cause and take the first steps towards doing so.

In doing all of this you will develop your integrity muscle which in turn is going to help you to develop your Executive Presence and you will not wonder whether you should be embellishing resumes or how far you can tell a lie in order to get ahead with your career or your life.

When you are ready, I have another article which is going to help you in your workplace on how to convince people you’re an expert with integrity.

And this one, this article is going to actually show you how when you are an expert you can actually demonstrate it to others without feeling that you are out of your own integrity space.

So that’s all from me for now. This is Vatsala Shukla signing off. See you in my next Executive Presence Tip.