37. Integrity shows more in good times than in bad times
An SP’s integrity becomes visible in adversity: pressure reveals what you stand for. But integrity shows even more in prosperity than in adversity: the less we depend on others the more we reveal how much we care about them. This also increases the chances of overestimating oneself and of recklessness. In good times, unlike in bad, SPs cannot hide behind circumstances, so more can be attributed to integrity in times of prosperity.
It is often said that you see what someone stands for when they are under pressure. Time pressure reveals one’s priorities. Budgetary pressure shows what a person really cares about. When things are going badly, people’s true nature rises to the surface.
This is certainly true. Adversity reveals integrity, and the greater the adversity, the more it shows the level of a person’s integrity, but this is only one side of the coin. The other side is revealed when we do well, when success keeps on coming and everything goes our way. The absence of pressure also reveals integrity. Why?
As pressure decreases, power increases, providing more space, freedom, and opportunities, making people less dependent on others, and therefore less compelled to take their interests and expectations into account. It is then that it becomes clear how much people care about others. As German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”185 Along the same lines, Al Gore stated, “Our nation’s greatness is measured by how we treat those who are the most vulnerable.”186 There is no integrity in dropping allies when their support is no longer needed. Plato puts this succinctly: “The measure of a man is what he does with power.”187
So the more power people have, the more the level of their integrity is revealed. What if SPs were omnipotent? To what extent would they serve the people then?
Good situations can lead to SPs becoming self-satisfied and self-centered, casting aside good advice and criticism, and ignoring warning signs. They believe their fortune proves their success and rightness. This can cause overconfidence, leading people to take excessive risks, invest insufficiently, or keep inadequate reserves for periods of adversity. There is a Dutch saying that only strong legs can carry wealth. Dictators and tyrants do not only stand up when they have nothing to say and just want the final word, but also when they have plenty to say and others no longer matter to them. For that reason SPs must have a high level of integrity to avoid misusing their power in times of good fortune.
Integrity is therefore visible both in times of fortune and in times of adversity, but it is more visible in good times than in bad. You can hide behind circumstances to some extent in bad times, but not when things are going well. Prosperity is never an excuse for abuse of power. For the same reason we should not be too hasty in praising integrity, but should wait until we have seen how an SP behaves in good times and bad.