The Downside of Integrity

We don’t normally think that someone can have too much integrity. Integrity, after all, is about acting with honesty and high standards.

Leaders with integrity are transparent, fair, and true to themselves. They apply their values and principles consistently to engender trust and respect from others.

How can anyone have too much of that?

The problem is not that someone can be too honest, fair, or transparent. It’s that they can use the virtue of integrity to become rigid in their thinking and decision-making.

People often hide behind the idea of acting with integrity to simplify a complex situation or issue. In the name of integrity, they choose to view matters in blacks and whites, overlooking the many subtleties and confounding factors that make an issue complex.

Because integrity is tied to principles and conviction about what reflects honesty, those people with strong integrity often adopt a view of right and wrong that overrides the nuances in play.

As a result of their commitment to their values, they can also become inflexible in their beliefs and decisions, and judge others harshly if they perceive them as lacking similar values.

In extreme cases, high integrity can lead to a fear of compromise, as people don’t want others to think their values are negotiable.

While integrity is an essential character trait, it must be balanced with an openness to hear other viewpoints and a willingness to adapt when necessary.

Those who think of themselves as having high integrity often see it as a code of honor that should be applied with rigidity, to the detriment of quality decisions and judgments.

Think of a leader or team member who is known for their integrity. Now ask yourself if this person has other character strengths, such as humility, that allow them to find a balance in how they apply their moral standards to situations.

Lacking other character strengths to offset inflexibility, too much integrity can render a leader incapable of seeing the delicate distinctions that make up most issues.

Ironically, too much integrity can blind people to the truth. It takes integrity to admit that.