"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not."
I like Oprah's saying in relationship to business because it underscores the difference between great managers and average.
To me, a person in leadership must have the type of integrity Oprah talks about here if they are going to be successful over a long period of time.
To do the right thing for the motivation of being seen by others, like many writers today espouse, is a huge mistake. It gets people to take actions for the wrong reasons. It helps to destroy integrity in you, rather than encourage it.
Business leadership isn't about doing something for the sole purpose of being discovered so you can get a promotion or raise. Those seeking that as a goal are usually thwarted over the long haul.
What doing the right thing all the time does is establish a quality within us that will lead us to success no matter what circumstance we're in. It develops a habit and lifestyle that over a long period of time will be acknowledged and rewarded.
To do something right, is a statement about who you are, not just an attempt to get somewhere higher up the corporate ladder.
When we commit to doing the right thing, in all that represents in a business, we will get rewarded, but more importantly, we retain that unique thing that makes us who we are.
We should never sacrifice the quality of who we are at the expense of integrity. If we lose our integrity, what do we have left?
Other Oprah Resources:
Oprah Winfrey - About.com Readers' Most Admired Entrepreneur
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