The root of integrity is integer – a mathematical term referring to a whole number rather than a fraction. To have integrity is to be of one piece, consistent throughout, wholly authentic, and congruent with one’s sacred core. It is not being fractionated – having a different ethic for different occasions or people. It is having a single high standard of behavior – not some of the time, not most of the time, but all the time. I think of business innovator Clayton Christensen’s 100% rule. “It’s easier to hold your principles 100 percent of the time than to hold to them 98 percent of the time.”
