Doing what is right over what is convenient

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Eric Baugh
  • 436th Dental Squadron commander
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  In our daily activities we are presented with countless opportunities to make choices for ourselves. The choices we make have direct and indirect consequences on our lives and the lives of others. What most people fail to understand is the path one chooses by way of the choices we make have long-lasting effects.

Integrity is the quality of being completely honest and upholding high standards of morality. It entails doing what is right whether people are watching or not.  It's doing the right thing all the time, even when it works to your disadvantage. It's the internal compass that keeps you headed in the right direction when other options are pulling you away from your purpose. A person with integrity treats others with fairness, he can be trusted to carry out responsibilities without fail, and he is decent in all of his dealings. He cannot allow himself to be compromised even when the condition threatens his very existence or promises prosperity on his part. It should not be equated with your reputation - that the public's perception of your integrity, and often it is incorrect. Society, peers, coworkers will determine your reputation, only you can determine your integrity.  

Airmen with integrity tend to be the people we rely on the most. They are teammates who have taken the time to prepare, to learn their roles and know how their contribution benefits the mission; be it maintaining aircraft, protecting the base populace or in my case, combating dental disease. 

Every day we're faced with many choices, some so tempting that some of us jump right in without thorough consideration, sometimes regretting our haste later on. The news is full of stories where individuals both civilian and military; officer and enlisted, corporate or clergy who have been caught up in ethic violations (the easy convenient path) only to have their careers destroyed. Standing out to be different from the rest of the world and the rest of one's peers to many seems like an uphill task. However, integrity serves as the inner force and drive through which honesty, faithfulness and dignity are upheld no matter the circumstance. Convenience forces one to seek personal fulfillment and gratification when faced with tough relational decisions.

It is clear that integrity is really multi-disciplinary and cuts across all areas of human life and all levels of societal interactions. It runs deep and cannot be equated to reputation, which is prone to bias and marred with inaccuracies. Integrity cuts across businesses, relationships, families, friendships, health, the environment, and spirituality. Integrity gives people the power to change the world for the better and to impact all generations. No wonder Integrity is the first Air Force Core Value. 

As Tony Dungy put it "Integrity is an inward characteristic with outward consequences that make a lasting difference. Approach everything you do each day with integrity."