This I Believe...

http://thisibelieve.org/essay/87000/

Ok, so this essay deals with integrity in leadership, and as I have expressed in many of my previous posts, integrity is a big thing for me. In fact, it is my most prominent value that I cherish above all others. Integrity, honor, pride--it all means the same thing to me, and it is something that can create or destroy one's respect for another. This author of this essay describes how integrity is the trait she looks for the most in a leader, and I completely agree. If a leader does not have integrity, I often have difficulty respecting and working with them. Also, this author talks about her experience of having a leader who did not have integrity, and this caused her to really look for someone who did have integrity as one who could lead her. I had a very similar experience in my high school leadership class, and having a leader who did not have integrity allowed me to discover that integrity is by far the most important value to me. Also, this author ends her essay with the statement, "I believe that you can choose to be the kind of leader that makes all things possible." This statement resonates deep within me because this is something that I often preach as a leader. As Student Body President at my high school, I often preached that each leadership student needed to discover what their personal legacy would be, how they would individually make a change. So, I completely connect with this author and agree with everything that she has to say. A leader is someone who not only inspires others and works to the best of their ability, but a leader is also someone who leads by example and proves that there are no limitations in life.

My Story:

I believe in integrity. I believe that a leader should be a beacon and stand as an example of trust, honor, and truth. This value has always been something that I have firmly believed in. While I believe that leaders must also be confident, inspire others, be charismatic, etc., integrity is the number one trait I look for in a leader that I can truly work with and respect.

My story begins as a young child growing up in an Asian household. Growing up as an Asian American, or just as an Asian for that matter, you learn quickly that family honor is the most important thing in your life. "Don't do anything that will shame the family," and "Remember your goal is always to honor the family," are two phrases that I heard so many times throughout my eighteen years that I cannot even count how many times I have heard it. I guess this is where I began really valuing integrity. Growing up with it constantly being driven into my very being pretty much affected my outlook on life and influenced the actions I took. Integrity has always been a huge aspect of my consciousness and it has been ground into every action and every thought I have that I now often look for this trait in others when I find someone I should treat with much respect. For a long time, it was only something that I kept in the back of my mind, something that would subconsciously influence the decisions that I made. This was until my father’s death in 2009. Like many, my parents were huge symbols of integrity and leadership for me. However, when my father was in the hospital, I distinctly remember my mother coming up to me and telling me that I was not allowed to tell anyone, including friends, teammates, etc. because she did not want the information getting out to anybody until we were certain of his status. Yet while I was not allowed to tell anyone, my sister had her two best friends and her boyfriend at the hospital with her and my mother also had her two best friends there. It has always confused me why I was the only one who was apparently “not allowed to tell anyone” while my other family members were free to tell whomever they wanted. This is where my view on integrity, pride, and honor truly took control of my perception. To this day, I still find it difficult to view my mother with integrity because of her actions during this time. Now, I am not saying that she isn’t a fantastic mother, but it is something that I constantly struggle with. Now, integrity, trust, honor—these have become the most valuable characteristics that I find in a true leader. I respect and look for those with integrity, while also trying to ensure that I live a life that is full of such and that my own personal integrity affects each action and thought that I have. Integrity is key to leading by example. It is essential to helping other discover their own leadership potential and unlocking true confidence in other people. With integrity, I believe that anything is possible.