Integrity in Your 20s - Lead Better Than Your Parents

Integrity Definition: Doing what is good, right and proper even at personal cost.

Sometimes the anger of the younger generations in our society is palpable. They feel cheated and deceived by the generations in front of them. Hypocrites is a word a lot of young people use to describe our current generation of leaders.

If you are in your twenties and wondering where are the leaders of Integrity, you are not alone. In fact, that is the same thing the Baby Boomers said in their protests in the 1960s and 70s. Generation X had similar complaints. Today it is the Millennials and Generation Z who ask for leaders they can trust. And if history continues to repeat itself, then the next group will cry out about the hypocrites in leadership as well.

Twenty somethings, don’t keep doing what we older generations have done. All the talk about Integrity from past generations did not make a difference. The grand protests, in-your-face music, and doctoral dissertations did not ingrain Integrity into today’s leaders.

What will ensure your Integrity holds up once you get to be in charge? You have to DO what you want to BE. If you want to be a leader who exercises Integrity, then you have to DO Integrity.

Talking about Integrity is not Integrity. Pointing out another person’s failure in Integrity is not Integrity. You have to DO Integrity yourself, even if it’s going to cost you something to do it. And exercising Integrity will cost you something. If you have never lost something, whether it be a friend, a promotion, or a higher grade, because you chose your Integrity first, then you may have too fuzzy a definition of Integrity.