Integrity is not just ideal in leadership, is paramount

I finished watching the series “Painkiller” which paints a vivid and horrifying picture of the opioid crisis in the United States. It reveals how the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharm, ruthlessly profited from the sale of OxyContin, a powerful opioid, through unscrupulous tactics. The story outlines how Purdue Pharma recruited attractive women to serve as sales reps and bribed doctors to prescribe OxyContin to their patients, despite its dangerous addictive proporties resembling those of heroin.

Apart from the tragic, criminal, genocidal actions of key players in this story, I was left with the overwhelming feeling of the lack of integrity, morality and greed among business leaders. Sadly, this isn’t an isolated event. All too often, business leaders (and country leaders too) choose to pursue profits with little regard for ethical principles leaving both their employees and customers worse off than when they started. What’s worse, these kinds of actions often have widespread impacts that ripple through entire societies, with devastating effects.

#integrity is a key word when it comes to #leadership. Leaders who act with integrity prioritize fairness over expendency and take responsibility for their own actions and thos of their team. Those who fail to recognize the importance of integrity are more likey to make decisions based on greed or personal gain, rather than on what is best for all people involved.

We all need to reflect on our #values and hold ourselves accountable for any ethical shortfalls. This is specially true when we are in positions of power: where our decisions determine not only our own destiny but also that of our team and, by extension society at large. We must cultivate an environment that encourages #moral and #ethical behaviour and build systems that ensure integrity remains at the core of all decision making. By doing so, we can ensure that noone if left behind and that everyonne is given the opportunity to succeed.

#integrity #leadership #integritymatters