“Election years seem to bring out more discussion about the integrity of elected officials and the character of candidates. Political parties often try to claim the moral high ground for those would-be leaders running on their platform,” Boyd Matheson writes. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
In preparing for my KSL New Radio “Inside Sources” show this week, my producer KellieAnn and I pored over possible topics to cover. We both expressed frustration with the increasing chasm between the behavior we should expect of elected officials, the lofty rhetoric they often deliver and the reality we too often see.
KellieAnn is one of those wise souls whose perspective is a priceless gift. At one point she paused and said, “My teacher always told me that integrity is what you do with your chewing gum when no one is looking.”
Looking under the lunchroom counter or local restaurant table reveals that many have failed that test. Gum under a chair, thrown on the ground or even just tossed into garbage can without being wrapped in something shows the willingness of the chewer to compromise principle or take the path of least resistance when it is convenient.
Some may question that chewing gum test, but life is filled with sticky situations. Most integrity-testing and character-cracking circumstances happen in private moments — out of public view.
Doing what is right when no one is looking is the ultimate test of integrity and character that reveals much about an individual or an institution.
Election years seem to bring out more discussion about the integrity of elected officials and the character of candidates. Political parties often try to claim the moral high ground for those would-be leaders running on their platform.
The reality is that the moral high ground is not space that is owned by any political ideology. The high ground is a space that can be occupied only by those who earn it. It cannot be claimed, controlled by declaration or passed on by birthright. The real, authentic high ground is occupied only by those willing to live the particular principle — one day at a time.
Throughout the ages, seemingly great men and great women have been exposed as less than noble, less than genuine and even less than human when presented with power, influence, fame or faced with challenging circumstances. The reverse is also true: Seemingly ordinary women and men, when thrust into the most sticky of situations, or provided a compromised path to prominence, have risen to extraordinary heights of courage, character and selflessness.
In his first inaugural address in 1789, George Washington said he hoped “that the foundations of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality.” He called on “free government” to exemplify the attributes that will make its citizens proud and “command the respect of the world.”
The kind of public and private morality that Washington called for in our nation’s leaders did not require them to be perfect. But it did necessitate integrity and congruency regardless of the situation.
In politics and business I have observed those who were incongruent. The leader who appeared kind and caring in public or with customers and clients but privately was a tyrant who berated and demeaned subordinates. I have witnessed those who when interviewed by the media projected a persona of a refined diplomat or statesman but, when away from the cameras, were crass, crude and profane.
Likewise, I have experienced elected leaders who spoke of openness and transparency in public but regularly retreated to backrooms where deals were done based on political expediency rather than good public policy.
Observing how a person treats both other people and the truth, especially when in a position of power or of prominence, will manifest much about who they are deep inside and what they will likely do under pressure, in sticky situations or when no one is looking.
Public service is filled with pressure. The question will be whether our elected officials demonstrate integrity, morality and character in public discourse as well as private moments.
There are no perfect politicians. Indeed, all of us fall short. So, each of us must look into the mirror and ask uncomfortable questions about who we are as individuals and as citizens. Are we congruent? Do we do what is right when no one is looking? Are we willing to do the right thing without question or pause? The answers to such questions will ultimately determine and display to the world what matters to us as a community and as a nation.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, then leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke of integrity and moral character on the “Larry King Show” in the late 1990s. He asked: “Is it asking too much of our public servants to not only make of this nation the greatest nation on earth politically, militarily, but also to give moral leadership to the world?”
The inescapable trust of leadership matters. The candidates for office from both major political parties are asking voters to trust them. That is not an insignificant ask.
Lack of transparency, arrogance and even dishonesty can cause citizens to question the integrity and character of public officials. The results from backroom deals, deceptive practices or politically expedient pacts decimate trust. Pew Research Center continues to report and study the gaping hole in the societal fabric from governmental loss of public trust. We cannot and must not normalize any behavior in our leaders that is lacking in integrity.
I repeat President Hinckley’s question, “Is it asking too much of our public servants to not only make of this nation the greatest nation on earth politically, militarily, but also to give moral leadership to the world?”
The structural soundness of this nation is determined by the private actions of its citizens and its leaders. If we begin to accept the notion that trust and character are from a bygone era or shouldn’t be applied to leaders today, cracks will begin form in the foundation of the nation. Societies that crumble often do so slowly one piece of integrity and character-flavored chewing gum at a time.
The chewing gum question remains. Sticky situations will always be present to us as individuals and to leaders at every level of business and government, usually when no one else is looking. Trust is the inescapable virtue of both leadership and citizenship.
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