Pearl Nash
People with integrity place an emphasis on having strong morals and values.
They’re honest people who set out to do the right thing in life.
As if that’s not enough, they’re consistent!
So what are some of the things people with true integrity would never do? Here are 10 things to note, which you shouldn’t do either!
1) Talk about people behind their backs
Think about the amount of times you’ve heard someone moaning about one of their friends…
…Only to be nice to their face!
Maybe they spoke about how they dislike a friend’s new hairstyle or how their line of work sucks, but they’ve said something very different to that friend.
Unfortunately, there are people like this in the world.
You see, some people love to talk about other people at length when they’re not around, in order to make themselves feel better.
But this isn’t a good trait!
Simply put, you’ll never catch a person of integrity talking about others behind their backs.
This goes against what it fundamentally means to have integrity.
You see, people with integrity aren’t insecure and they don’t feel the need to put down others in order to feel good about who they are.
2) Only do what’s right when others are looking
Consistency is key for people with integrity.
Here’s the thing:
People with integrity don’t switch their values on and off; they are who they are from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep.
This means, they don’t just do the right thing while other people are looking.
Instead, they ensure that they do the right thing consistently.
Maybe this means being kind to other people or looking after the environment.
For example, a person of integrity wouldn’t just recycle when other people are looking and spend the rest of the time not caring…
…Instead, it would be something that they do by themselves day in, day out because it’s a core value of theirs.
In other words, people with integrity don’t just do things for show; their actions accurately represent who they are and what they’re about.
Simply put: what you see is what you get.
3) Lie to others
Some people unfortunately feel the need to lie to others.
All this does is cause hurt and confusion, and it’s not a nice thing to be on the receiving end of!
Lies can take the form of little ‘white lies’ where the truth is slightly bent to full-blown outlandish claims that aren’t rooted in reality at all.
Whatever the type of lie, people with integrity are repulsed by those that lie…
…It goes against their principles!
Simply put, you would never hear a person of integrity come up with a lie to benefit them or hurt another person.
More than anything, honesty is important to people with integrity so they would go above and beyond to expose the truth.
Odds are, people of integrity can end up in professions where it’s their duty to reveal wrongdoing and to help others!
4) Cheat on a partner
Just like people with integrity wouldn’t lie, they also wouldn’t cheat.
You see, lying and cheating go hand-in-hand.
They’re both behaviors that surround doing things behind another person’s back… And they cause a lot of hurt in the process.
Both lying and cheating are damaging and dangerous to whoever is on the receiving end.
By now, you should know that cheating on a partner would go against the principles of being honest and consistent.
What’s more, if a person of integrity found out that a friend was being cheated on, they wouldn’t stay quiet.
Oh no…They would want the truth to see the light of day and for the cheater to be exposed for their wrongdoing.
They would want everyone to know exactly what this person has been up to!
5) Falsely accuse someone
It’s a fact that we all make mistakes in life.
It’s just a part of being human.
Now, while some people are able to put their hands up and accept when they’re messed up, others aren’t so capable…
…And they can falsely accuse others to get themselves out of tricky situations.
In other words, they consciously shift the blame to someone else so they don’t get in trouble.
This is no way to be, and it’s not something a person with true integrity would ever find themselves doing.
You see, knowingly accusing someone of doing something they haven’t is a deliberate act that’s done to cause pain and create an issue.
It doesn’t matter if it’s something small or benign or something significant – you would just never see a person of integrity behaving like this.
Truth is, it goes against their core principles.
6) Behave like they’re better than someone else
Thinking and behaving like you’re better than someone else is never going to go down well.
If you spot someone acting like this, you can tell that they’re not a person of integrity.
I used to work with someone like this…And they tried to make everyone else feel really small and insignificant.
Truth is, they had an insecurity complex!
On the other hand, people with integrity see themselves as equals to others.
They don’t feel the need to act as though they’re superior… Because they don’t believe they are.
Even if a person is more established in their career than another person, they would never think that it makes them a better human being.
Instead, they would see that they can share their knowledge and support someone else.
Simply put, they would recognize that someone is at a different point in their journey…
…But they wouldn’t think that they’re therefore better than this person.
The last thing a person of integrity would do is look at another and think that they’re better than them!
They would never set out to feel like someone else is less than them.
7) Think they can get something from doing nothing
Some people go through life and actually believe they deserve something without putting the work in.
They think that they deserve the world without doing anything to earn it.
In other words, there are people who believe they can get something from doing nothing…
…And this comes from a place of entitlement.
People like this aren’t people of integrity.
Those who truly have integrity know that they need to work hard if they want to achieve their goals.
They are hard-workers, who are committed to their paths and achieving their successes through consistency.
What’s more, they know that things worth having don’t come easily… But this doesn’t put them off from trying and setting their sights firmly on their goals.
They’re not afraid of the grind and rolling up their sleeves!
Simply put, people with integrity are among those who get on in life.
8) Withhold giving credit to others
People with integrity would never withhold giving credit to others where it’s due.
Unfortunately, there are people in this world who feel the need to withhold crediting others as they believe it puts them at a disadvantage.
Even worse, they might claim that they deserve the credit for something someone else did!
For example, someone might not call out someone who worked alongside them on a project so they just bask in the light by themselves.
Anyone who does this is clearly incredibly insecure.
Now, here’s the thing:
People with integrity are not insecure…
…This means they don’t feel the need to withhold praising another person and they’re more than happy to give another person credit where it’s due.
It’s likely that a person of integrity wouldn’t only give someone credit where it’s due… But they would want everyone else to know just how well that person has done.
Think calling them out in a meeting – for the right reasons!
9) Not respect someone else’s boundaries
You’ve probably heard or even said: “this is my boundary!”
It can mean many things…
Truth is, boundaries can be physical, emotional, sexual, intellectual or financial.
Now, people naturally have different ideas about what their boundaries look like.
It could mean not having physical contact with another person and needing personal space, or not feeling comfortable about the nature of certain topics being discussed…
…And these need to be respected regardless.
Simply put, respecting someone’s boundaries is essential in any healthy relationship.
This could be a romantic relationship, one between friends and family members, or one between colleagues.
You’ll find that people who have integrity consistently respect another person’s boundaries and they do so without disputing.
They accept that a person has specific requests and needs them to be honored in order to feel happy and even safe.
But not everyone does respect another person’s boundaries.
These people are among those who go through other people’s belongings, criticize and take anger out on others for no real reason.
One thing they certainly don’t have? Integrity.
10) Waste someone’s time
Sometimes there are real reasons that explain why someone is late or has missed a deadline.
Truth is, unexpected things happen in life…
…There could be crazy traffic that causes someone to run late for a coffee date with a friend, or a loss in the family that causes someone to get behind on their work.
I’m sure you’ve been there!
Odds are, people are generally understanding when they know there’s a real reason behind someone not showing up or delivering work on time.
But time wasting without a valid reason is rude – plain and simple.
What’s more, turning up late for something because you couldn’t be bothered to get ready in good time or not delivering work as you prioritized something else shows that you don’t have integrity.
Simply put, people with integrity are not time-wasters.
If they say they’re going to be someone at a certain time, they’ll be there.
Deadline for a piece of work? They’ll deliver it on time.
People of integrity know that not sticking to their word is rude and dishonest… And this goes against their core values!
