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iQuestions Faculty, Ron Price 
 
 
Question: 
 
There seems to be a crisis of integrity in leadership today. How can I 
avoid this? 
 
Answer: 
 
You don’t have to wait too long before you see something else in the 
news about a leader that’s failed in one way or another. Usually when 
we think about the word “integrity,” we’re thinking about character. 
We’re thinking about somebody who’s been dishonest or somebody 
who has stolen, or in some way they’ve been duplicitous or 
hypocritical.  
 
It’s really important that we realize we too could become a victim of 
that just as well as anybody else. None of us are perfect. We’re all 
human beings and we all face the same kinds of temptations.  
 
In addition, I think that the word “integrity” has a broader application. 
So when I think about integrity in leadership, there are three specific 
definitions or aspects to consider.  
 
The first is “positional integrity.” Whatever role you’re in, whatever 
position you’re in, what does that position require of you in order to 
maintain integrity in your role?  
 
Sometimes you find that in the position description. If you’re an 
elected official, it comes through the way that the government has 
defined your role in government. Sometimes it’s in the bylaws. But the 
first thing to do is to ask, “What is integrity in the context of the 
positional responsibilities that I have?” 
 
 
The second area of integrity is what I would call “expert integrity.” 
What do I need to know, what kind of knowledge is important for me 
to be “integrous”—if I can use that word—in the way that I fulfill my 
work? You wouldn’t want to go to a doctor who hadn’t studied a 
particular operation for the past 20 years and have him or her operate 
on you, would you? 
 
You want them to stay up on the latest knowledge or expertise. So 
that is an important part of integrity as well. 
 
The third dimension or aspect of integrity is what we’ve already talked 
about, what I would refer to as “moral integrity,” and that has to do 
with honesty, and loyalty, and truthfulness in the way that you interact 
with other people.  
 
I like to say that you ought to act as if there’s a reality TV show being 
made about you and your work, and that everything is going to be 
exposed sooner or later. If you don’t mind everything you do being 
broadcast to the rest of your company, then you know you’re acting 
with integrity.  
Price -2- 
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