More Than Just a Word
People talk about integrity like it’s a moral badge.
Be honest. Be good. Do the right thing.
But integrity, as I see it, isn’t about being “good” at all — at its core, it’s about workability.
It’s about being whole and complete — as a person, as a business, as a leader — with nothing missing, nothing left unsaid or undone.
It’s the state of living in alignment with your word:
- What you say you’ll do.
- What others expect you to do.
- What you know to do (yes, even if you haven’t said it out loud).
All while doing them in the timeframe you said you would — or that people would expect you to.
And here’s the thing: if you’re playing a big enough game in life, you will break your word sometimes. The real question is:
Will you honour your word?
Honouring your word means that the moment you know you won’t keep it, you speak up and tell the people who will be impacted. You deal with the impact and create something new so it doesn’t happen the same way again.
That’s what keeps you whole. Because the reality is, you’ll never keep your word 100% of the time. But you can always restore it. And that’s the difference between people who grow and people who stay stuck.
Why It Matters Everywhere
When you say one thing and do another, the impact isn’t always immediate — but over time, it eats away at trust.
For individuals, it’s a slow erosion of self-trust. And when you don’t trust yourself, others start to feel it too. You may not label yourself “unreliable,” but that’s how you begin to occur to people.
In business, it’s the same. A company that promises one thing and delivers another trains its customers not to believe them. Once that trust is gone, it takes far more energy to rebuild than it ever did to maintain.
Think about the hairstylist who cancels on you twice in a row — will you book a third appointment? Or the employee who promises a report by Wednesday and you’re still waiting on Friday. Every time it happens, there’s an impact. And the more it’s ignored, the deeper that impact runs.
When integrity isn’t tended to, resentment and breakdowns aren’t far behind.
When My Integrity Went Out
My integrity is constantly going in and out. But not long ago, I had one of those moments where my integrity really slipped, and it had a big impact on my community.
I’m the Chairperson for a non-profit organization, and this June, we were hosting a fundraising event. I knew I couldn’t attend, so I made sure someone would be there in my place and worked with the Board to get all the details organized. We thought we had everything ready.
We didn’t.
During the event, things started to fall apart. Volunteers were left frustrated, overwhelmed, and unsupported. It wasn’t just my absence that caused the impact — it was my lack of organization and leadership leading up to the event. I hadn’t done enough to set them up for success, and they felt it.
When I heard about their experience, my first reaction was anger — at myself, at the situation, at how something we’d worked so hard on could still leave people feeling let down. But the truth was clear: I was out of integrity.
So I reached out to everyone impacted. I acknowledged the promises I hadn’t fulfilled, and I owned the impact it had on them. I told them exactly how I planned to address it: by sharing feedback with the Board and creating a standard operating procedure so future teams wouldn’t face the same breakdowns. Then I thanked them for stepping up, and I acknowledged their commitment to both our community and our organization.
It wasn’t comfortable at first, but afterward something shifted. They felt heard, seen, and respected — and my relationships with them grew stronger. And for me, I went from frustrated and defensive to grounded and powerful.
When Integrity Requires Courage
Sometimes keeping your word isn’t about convenience — it’s about courage.
Nearly three years ago, I promised myself that I’d give a report to the RCMP about the sexual assault I experienced as a teenager. Time passed, and I kept putting it off. It was something I’d get to later.
But later never came.
Until early January in 2024, I noticed how many things in my life weren’t working. I looked at where my word was out, and there it was — glaring back at me. I’d said I would do it, and I hadn’t. And once I saw how that was quietly affecting everything else, I couldn’t ignore it any longer.
The morning I decided to go in, my stomach turned. Walking up the station steps, every part of me wanted to turn around — what if they don’t believe me? what if it doesn’t matter? But I kept walking.
Inside, I told them my name and that I wanted to report a crime from when I was 17. Before I knew it, a Constable led me into a small room, turned on the recorder, and I began to tell my story. I cried. I stumbled over some words I recalled memories but, I kept going.
When it was over, she thanked me for my courage.
No charges were laid — but that wasn’t the point. I did it for the 17-year-old me who never thought she could. I did it because I said I would. And I left knowing that if I could do that, I could do anything.
Integrity Isn’t About Perfection
Like I said earlier, my integrity goes out all the time. That’s not a failure — it’s proof I’m up to something in life.
If you wait until you can keep every commitment flawlessly, you’ll either shrink your life to nothing or live in constant self-criticism.
Integrity isn’t about never letting it slip — it’s about how quickly and honestly you restore it when it does.
This is true whether you’re running a company, leading a team, or managing your own life. Integrity doesn’t belong to titles — it’s the foundation of trust, and trust is the foundation of everything else.
Your Turn
If you’ve noticed a gap between what you say and what you do, take a breath.
This is your moment to pause, be honest and ask yourself:
- Are you living life the way you say you want to?
- Do your actions consistently match your words?
- When your word goes out, are you willing to restore it fully?
- What could be possible in your life or business if you tended to your integrity the same way you tend to your looks or your to-do list?
If you’re ready to bring yourself — or your business — into deeper alignment, let’s talk. Book a free 1-hour discovery call with me now, and let’s explore what becomes possible when you truly start walking your talk.
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