11. Integrity can only be built up in office
SPs can only begin to build up integrity once in office, because it is by exhibiting patterns of good behavior that they are able to show that they possess the qualities needed for the job. They only develop the qualities they need by repetition on the job, thereby discovering the true meaning of integrity in their job. Through this repetition they can also become qualified for positions of greater power.
It is sometimes thought that a person has integrity as long as the opposite has not been proven. This is a limited perspective on integrity, as people can only distinguish themselves in a negative sense, making integrity an issue of avoiding mistakes, errors, or blunders. Under this view integrity resides in the absence of particular actions. However, this is just one side of integrity. The flipside involves earning, building up, and proving integrity. Under this view integrity is gained by positive action.
General views on morality and notions of justice state that people are innocent until proven guilty, rather than guilty by default. In the same way we can say that SPs are not corrupt by default. This is the basis, the point of departure. So a lack of integrity must be proven by the person making the claim. However, if a person is not corrupt, it does not necessarily mean they have integrity. Integrity is not the opposite of corruption. As we saw in chapter 9, integrity is a positive concept that is more than the absence of the negative. That is why integrity is not present by nature, but must be built up and demonstrated.
Integrity becomes visible in behavior. Without behavior we cannot make any claim regarding integrity. Only when we speak the truth do we show that we are honest. By fulfilling a promise we show that we are trustworthy. However, since integrity only becomes visible in patterns of behavior, desirable behavior must be exhibited frequently. We can build up our trust by fulfilling several promises. Frequently telling the truth builds on honesty. People can only distinguish themselves positively in office if they exhibit positive behavior, and the more they do this the more they show that they possess the underlying positive traits and desired qualities. According to Aristotle people only fully possess virtues through repetition. In his view moral virtues, like intellectual virtues, arise from habit and practice.73 It is only on the job that we can get into the habit of applying the desired qualities. Only in office can we show others that we possess the required virtues.
SPs act high-handedly if they think that they do not need to prove their own integrity, as if others should see their integrity as natural and given, or as if it does not matter what others think of their integrity. However, integrity needs to be proven and built up not only for others but also for SPs themselves. It is through action that we discover what integrity is, what the desirable qualities are, what it means in practice, and which qualities need developing. By practicing in office, people discover what is considered important, what motivates them, and who they are. The job is both a voyage of discovery and a process of creating one’s own integrity. Integrity is formed and filled out in office.74 People gain integrity in office rather than having it at the outset.
Integrity can therefore be lost or won. At any moment in office the balance can be made up. What have I lost and what have I gained? Am I in the danger zone or am I achieving a rising line of progress? Is my own integrity crumbling or taking shape? How much credit do I have, or am I already in the red? What habits have I made or broken? SPs should regularly ask themselves these questions; this keeps them sharp, encourages improvement where necessary, and prevents them from unconsciously relapsing or weakening.
Growing in integrity has another goal. By showing they are maintaining and developing their integrity, people show not only that they are fit for their current job, but also that they qualify for positions with more power and greater risks to integrity. As Irish statesman Edmund Burke said, “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.”75 More power means greater repercussions of abuse, demanding greater integrity. This is why every job is a test of integrity for a harder job. Anyone who cannot act with integrity with little power is likely to abuse their power more in a position of greater power. If they cannot hold out with little power, they disqualify themselves from more demanding jobs.