[October 21, 2025] Every year, once a year in the 1950s, my family and I watched our black and white television and were thrilled to see the Walt Disney Animation Studio’s movie Pinocchio. I had no idea at the time that the movie was in color and no idea that I was learning a valuable lesson. The lesson that I learned from my mom and dad, as well as from Pinocchio, was that your integrity is worth a whole bunch.
With my children growing up in the 1990s, we were able to watch the movie anytime after purchasing it on VHS video cassette.1 That was also a time when a person’s integrity meant more than anything else they carried in their professional rucksack. Everyone, especially those I associated with in the military, knew that once you lost any degree of integrity that it was nearly impossible to recover … it took effort and lots of time.
“Trust comes by foot and leaves by horseback.” – Johan Thorbecke, Dutch Politician
We’ve all seen senior leader careers destroyed by lapses in their integrity. Recently the CEO of the German car manufacturer Volkswagen resigned after it was discovered the company cheated on United States automobile pollution emission standards.2 A leadership failure on such a scale is not uncommon or limited to business. The U.S. military has had its share of problems from cadet cheating scandals at the premier West Point Military Academy to the firing of General officers for lying.
If we put it into financial terms, we can learn from Dr. Fred Kiel who quantified the value of a leader’s integrity in his book Return on Character.3 He found that companies run by CEOs with high integrity were more than four times as profitable and employee engagement greater than others. His research results are clear; companies do best under the direction of high-integrity leaders.4
What is your integrity worth? Warren Buffet once commented that we should look for three things in a person: intelligence, energy, and integrity. “If they don’t have the last one,” he said, “don’t even bother.” For most of us, integrity is everything. I think I’ll watch Pinocchio tonight for old time’s sake.
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- I still own it, so I’ll never sell my VHS player (see: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHS) but the grandkids will be watching it on my Blu-ray player.
- http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/23/martin-winterkorn-resigns-as-volkswagen-ceo.html
- http://www.krw-intl.com/book/return-on-character/
- For a good article that lays this out in better detail, see Dr. Travis Bradberry, coauthor of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, here: https://agenda.weforum.org/2015/10/how-much-is-a-leaders-integrity-worth/
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Please read my books:
At the end of life, our integrity is all that we can possess. There is no substitute for it. Just look at many old folks, they mostly have figured this out. Money and possessions don’t really count for much once you have enough money to keep the creditors at gay. Embrace the truth and hold onto your responsibilities for they will make you free and please that you have had a good life. For more on a good life, then you can read Gen. Satterfield’s book “55 Rules for a Good Life.”
good one, GEN. Satterfield.
Integrity leaves on a fast train and runs off the first bridge it comes to. So, the lesson is to never sacrifice your integrity. It is your long-lasting legacy. Once gone, it can rarely be regained. I have seen too many folks in management of large companies lie, cheat, or steal, and then instantly realize they have given up their career for a short term gain.
Ken, well said. Too many are inflluence by a bad wife or drugs/alcohol too. But it matters not. Once given up, integrity is gone.
As Gen. Satterfield has noted on several occasions, its the alcohol mostly. While the terrible illegal drugs are worse, they are less acceptable in normal society, while alcohol is not just acceptable but actively encouraged.
GOTTA LOVE THIS OLD-TIME FASHIONED ADVICE
Another basic leader write-up and much appreciated. This blog post is much like the earlier Gen. Satterfield articles and appropriate at this time with so many politicians who have sacrificed their personal and professional integrity for monetary gain. Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama are at the top of the list in this. And both keep yapping their jaws to prove it.
A good example where crazies use their money to fund chaos, violence, and other criminal activities.
Patel says FBI found more weaponization crimes, close to solving command and funding for Antifa
Follow the money: Among other things, FBI boss says probes have found fascinating connections between traditional anarchist groups like Antifa and transgender activist groups that are incubating in places like social media platforms favored by gamers.
https://justthenews.com/government/security/patel-says-fbi-found-more-weaponization-crimes-close-unmasking-command-and
Good one, Gen. Satterfield. Let us never to forget that once we sacrifice our integrity, we will forever been seen as a person to avoid and to use as someone not to be like or emulate. 🕷🕷🕷🕷
Correct. Sounds like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Pocahontas. Her nickname will forever stick to her. Her lies about her origins – that she used to get ahead – is a glue that follows her as a marker for her dishonesty.
For those new to Gen. Satterfield’s blog on leadership, he often inserts a post that gets to the very basic foundation on how to be a leader. A leader here, for example, must have “integrity.” The “word” of a leader must be firm and true. Those who base their leadership on falsehoods or lies, will only be remembered as a deceiver and this one who is not worthy of that position and one who is untrustworthy. These kind of people only lead to destruction and not building up their community or nation. Lying is the basis and only harm comes from it. We see these rulers in history and can point them out for prosperity.
Oldie but goodie.
Hi Hasan, I haven’t seen you here before, so WELCOME. Glad to have you in the leader forums. Be sure to get a copy of Gen. Satterfield’s books to have a better background.