What does it mean to have integrity? People often confuse this with qualities such as honesty, loyalty, and likeability.

Imagine a piece of oak serving as a table leg. If the wood is a strong, pure and unflawed it will sustain great load without changing shape or breaking.

Imagine another piece of wood that has an attractive oak veneer with a hollow core. It may look terrific from the outside, but as soon as it's put under heavy load it buckles. The integrity of the wood is about how solid and real it is both inside and out. This determines its ability to hold form under load.

So it is with people. Those with integrity do not pretend and they maintain form no matter what the circumstance. They don't posture - what you see is what you get. They're solid and predictable. They'll do the right thing come rain or shine, even when no one is watching.

How do we build and display integrity? Integrity is strengthened each day by honoring your commitments. It's about keeping your promises. It's about being true to yourself – living through your values with authenticity and transparency. It's about facing reality with courage and conviction.

Living with integrty means finding and expressing your inner voice. It speaks clearly of who you are, and what you value. People are accustomed to superficial pleasentries and social posturing, so this authentic voice can be rather difficult to cultivate. Others tend to be startled by such authenticity. Some will be drawn to it, others repelled by it.

"Many organizations can point to a list of values. The real question is how the values are lived. Have we just done our "values thing" during a planning session or are they actively used in our daily operations? Do they have a high "snicker factor" to be greeted with rolled eyes when they are occasionally brought forward?" -- from Jim Clemmer's article, "Bringing Values to Life " Read the full article...

People with integrity are trustworthy. It doesn't mean they're nice all the time, it means they're true to their values, reliable, and can be counted on. Integrity isn't very flashy or fun. In fact, it's somewhat boring.

Farmers have integrity. In obeying nature's laws, they can't afford to maintain illusions. They're not likely to be the life of the party at a singles bar. Conversely, known for their lack of integrity, politicians often play a popularity contest where image is everything.

At RYD, integrity is considered a "permission-to-play" value. That means you have to have it to even qualify for our team. Integrity is a individual character issue, not a team quality. In other words, teams don't have integrity, the individual members do.

Do you have integrity? That's a very sensitive question. Everyone believes they have it. We tend to judge ourselves by our noble intentions. The world judges us by our actions. Integrity is about closing that gap between intentions and actions.

Integrity is the key quality of a leader. People are willing to follow someone because of who they are in terms of character, more than what direction they are going. When leaders lapse in integrity, they lose influence - fast.

Likeability and popularity are not based on integrity. These days there's far too much emphasis on personality and superficial appearances. There's not nearly enough emphasis on character development. Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People explains this personality-character issue in depth.

Those with questionable integrity are ever-shifting depending on the circumstances. They can be flexible, adaptable and very likeable, but you can't really count on them. They tend to choose the path of least resistance and buckle more quickly under a load. Some may be attractive on the surface, but rotten at the core.

What makes an effective con artist? Someone who can act out a role so effectively that it seems real. They maintain an illusion of integrity. Con artists also tend to be master manipulators. They look for emotional vulnerability and exploit it. They can make others feel terrific as they take them for a ride.

Integrity doesn't come easy. It takes inner cultivation and sacrifice. Most people would rather just have fun and live for today. In this age of celebrity, many people fail to recognize and value integrity, let alone nurture it.

Read more on Integrity from Michael Angier.