Integrity and moral values flourish only under strong governance. Most people demonstrate their best behaviour when someone is watching — it’s human nature to seek validation and acknowledgment for doing good work.
But when governance is weak or absent, even people with high integrity gradually lose interest in upholding high moral standards. Living with integrity is hard work; it requires effort, restraint, and discipline. Without oversight or accountability, we start to justify small compromises with convenient narratives.
So when integrity fades, who is truly responsible?
It isn’t just the individuals who slip — it’s the leadership that failed to build and enforce sound governance. Instead of punishing people for poor performance or ethical lapses, we should ask harder questions of the leaders: Where were the governance protocols?
Good governance doesn’t just monitor behaviour; it sustains moral energy across the organisation.
