48. Integrity requires intellectual as well as moral qualities
Intellectual qualities are important for SPs’ integrity because in their absence (1) there is no coherence between the demands of the job and what the individual SP has to offer, (2) it increases the risk of the job being done badly, and (3) it increases the risk that SPs will act without integrity in order to fulfill their role. SPs should therefore only accept jobs they are intellectually capable of.They should also take care of their physical integrity.
Integrity demands that SPs have moral qualities. In the previous chapter different virtues were discussed, such as courage, self-control, and humility. Moral qualities can be distinguished from intellectual qualities, as Aristotle stated. These intellectual qualities, such as knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence, are also important for SPs’ integrity. At least three reasons can be given for this.
Firstly integrity cannot exist in the absence of coherence between the demands of a job and what the individual has to offer. SPs without the necessary intellectual capacities are unsuited to their jobs and therefore cannot be said to have integrity.
Secondly, SPs with intellectual shortcomings run the risk of failing to do their jobs properly and therefore making suboptimal or bad decisions, wasting pubic resources, and letting people down. So SPs in difficult jobs should usually have the intellectual capacity to properly analyze situations, expectations, options, and consequences quickly so as to be able to come to well- thought-out, properly supported viewpoints and solutions. They also need the intellectual capacity to communicate viewpoints clearly, as well as a good memory: in addition to breaking promises, forgetful SPs also run the risk of acting inconsistently, because they have forgotten how they behaved in the same situations on previous occasions.
Thirdly, SPs who fall short intellectually heighten the risk to their integrity, because they are more likely to feel the need to engage in dishonest behavior than those who are intellectually equipped to make up for their shortcomings. If they cannot achieve goals on their own strength, they may start to abuse their power. If SPs lack the competence to persuade others of their views, they may put them under pressure or blackmail them, if they do not understand situations, they may shirk responsibility for decisions or postpone them too long, or if they cannot do a good job, they may cover up mistakes and gloss over bad performance.
An inability to cope with the job intellectually may lie in a lack of ability, or in wanting too much. People may want jobs that involve too much responsibility, to do things they are incapable of, or they may be asking too much of themselves.The same goes for those who raise excessively high expectations, promise too much, and are overly ambitious. This is not just a question of incapability: it also points to a lack of insight into limitations and boundaries, suggesting an inability to withstand the temptation to give the impression of being able to do more than one can. People either mislead others or delude themselves. From the perspective of integrity the task is therefore to remain realistic in what you resolve to do, knowing your own limitations, and only taking on what you can cope with.
Integrity therefore cannot be separated from intellectual qualities. This does not mean that SPs must always be very intelligent people. The desired intelligence depends on the level of responsibility of the job. That does not mean that having the intellectual capacity by definition gives SPs integrity. Intellectual capacities can also be used to serve the wrong goals and interests. Dictators may be analytically capable (for instance in understanding power relationships) and good at communicating (seducing with rhetoric and manipulating others). Integrity is about the combination of intellectual and moral virtues.
A relevant question here is the extent to which SPs need physical integrity. Should they also possess physical qualities? A physical handicap need not present an obstacle to doing the job well, as German minister Wolfgang Schäuble and US president Franklin Roosevelt, for example, have shown. But doesnot physical health matter too? On the one hand SPs, like everyone else, are people of flesh and bone and can fall sick like everyone else. SPs do not need to be physical superheroes. On the other hand, very demanding jobs in particular call for physical fitness in SPs. If doing the job well is an elite sport, this requires good physical condition, not only in order to be able to work long and hard when required, but also because physical health promotes intellectual and<