45. Integrity is preserving the dignity of the job
In addition to the official’s integrity, there is also integrity in the office itself. SPs should not damage the integrity of their positions, as this not only hinders their own work but also that of their successors. SPs should therefore uphold the dignity of their position and leave it in at least as good a condition as when they took up office.
In the previous chapter we saw that SPs should bear in mind that they hold office temporarily. An SP sits on a borrowed chair. SPs come and go, but positions remain longer than the term of a single SP. Seeing oneself as transient or as an observer, custodian, representative, or authorized agent, promotes humility. Seeing oneself in this way, as we will see in this chapter, promotes SPs’ sense of responsibility and offers a guide for their behavior.
We cannot talk about an official’s integrity in the absence of the integrity of the office. The integrity of the position means, among other things, that the position is untainted and stainless, and is respected and valued partly for this reason. The dignity of office plays an important part in enabling officials to work effectively: a position that is tainted is taken less seriously and inspires less confidence than one that remains clean. It is therefore important for SPs to avoid damaging their positions, as this would damage their own integrity as officials, and make it impossible to do the job well. That is just one side of the story.
The other side is that such behavior impedes not only the job itself but also successors in the position. When successors encounter a job that has been discredited and lacks dignity, this impedes their work. SPs should therefore see their job as borrowed from their successors. This means that they are responsible for ensuring that their successors enter a dignified position. That js why French King Louis XV’s comment, “Après moi, le déluge” is so reprehensible.246 The responsibility for guaranteeing the dignity of the position is even greater if we consider both the future and the past. The dignity of a position is built up by the behavior of predecessors in the job. If a successor brings the position into disrepute then their efforts are denied, undermined, and wasted. For that reason SPs should act as stewards for the dignity and trust of the office. In short, an SP is a guardian.
An important guide for the behavior of SPs is therefore to preserve the dignity of the function for successors in at least as good a state it was on appointment. As one minister said, “When it is time for an official to lay down his power, the office he held should have the same public dignity as when he was called to it. If this threatens to go wrong, he should resign his office.”247
You should pass on what you received; and leave behind what you encountered. In that respect it is a sign of integrity if people consider it an honor to hold office (showing a sense of perspective on themselves) and a great responsibility to keep up this honor. As George W. Bush wrote at the end of his autobiography, “I hope they will conclude that I upheld the honor and dignity of the office I was so privileged to hold.”248