“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”  Guess what–we are done with the bad news, and it is finally time to dig into the good stuff!  After a few posts laying out the basics of Integriosity^® (#001-#006), we have spent the last 30 posts (#007-#036) digging through the rubble of “work” to understand (1) the need for a better way, (2) several attributes of business as usual, (3) the problems in inherent in business as usual, (4) several attributes of work as usual, (5) five Placebos we call faith as usual and the Side Road detours down which they can send the leader seeking the ancient path of faith/work integration and (6) the problems inherent in getting stuck on a Side Road.  It is now time to begin rebuilding toward doing right through business a better way following the the framework of Integriosity.

Refresher on “As Usual”–The Rubble

Here is a quick outline of where we have been:

• The Need
  • Work is Broken (#007)
  • Workplaces are Broken (#008)
  • Workers are Breaking (#009)
  • The Three Gaps To Cross in Faith/Work Integration (#010)
    • Sunday/Monday
    • Sacred/Secular
    • Knowing/Doing
• Attributes of “Business as Usual” (#012)
  • Profit as Purpose (#013)
  • Scarcity Assumption (#014)
  • Self-Interest Assumption (#015)
  • “Can We” Ethics (#016)
• Problems with “Business as Usual”
  • Profit as Purpose (#017)
    • Ignores other Key Types of Capital
    • Works Against Shalom
    • Devalues Human Dignity
  • Scarcity Assumption:  Devoid of Trust in God (#018)
  • Self-Interest Assumption:  Does Not Prioritize Community (#018)
  • Not a Path to “A Better Way” (#018)
• Attributes of “Work as Usual” (#019)
  • Idol and Identity (#020)
  • Money and Power (#021)
  • Burden (#022)
  • Unhealthy Relationships (#023)
• “Faith as Usual” Placebos (#024)
  • The “4-Hour Content” Pill (#025)
  • The “Save and Give” Pill (#026)
  • The “Add Some Faith” Pill (#027)
  • The “Bless You” Pill (#028)
  • The “Success First” Pill (#029)
• “Faith as Usual” Side Roads
  • Agonize (#030)
  • Individualize (#031)
  • Monetize (#032)
  • Cosmeticize (#033)
  • Prosperitize (#034)
  • Interimize (#035)
• Placebo Problems (#036)
  • Missed Purpose
  • Missed Calling
  • Missed Flourishing
  • Increased Misery
  • Increased Hypocrisy
  • Unsustainability

Integriosity = Renew, Re-Imagine, Re-Align and Restore

Like Nehemiah inviting “come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem”, we will begin to explain a framework for doing right by rebuilding business a better way based upon Biblical principles of faith a better way, leading to work a better way. There are four stages in the process toward Integriosity, each of which lays the groundwork for the next:

• RENEW – “renew your mind” to understand God’s purpose for work and business.  You can’t align the purpose and vision of your organization with God’s purpose for work and business until you have a sound understanding of work and business from a Biblical perspective.  We believe that there are five key “mind-shifts” necessary to embrace fully God’s purpose for work and business.
• RE-IMAGINE – with a renewed understanding of God’s purpose for work and business, begin to re-imagine your leadership and your organization aligned with it’s bigger “Why”.  Re-imagine the purpose, vision, values and culture.
• RE-ALIGN – with a re-imagined image of your leadership and your organization, begin to take the concrete steps to re-align your organizations purpose, vision, values and culture to reflect and support your re-imagined image.
• RESTORE – lead your organization as a partner in God’s restorative plan for His Kingdom by intentionally pursuing, curating an organizational culture of Shalom and enriching your communities by being a Faithful Presence.

In the words of Morpheus when he offered Neo the red pill in The Matrix (go back to post #001 if this makes no sense), it is time to “show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

SPOILER ALERT:  The key Biblical principles that form the foundation of Integriosity are embedded in the word itself–Integrity (and its components Righteousness and Kingdom) and Generosity (and its components Love and Humility).

PERSONAL NOTE (from PM): If I have had a “life word”, it is “integrity”.  I remember a colleague at Cravath saying to me years ago, “You are John Gault”.  I had no idea what he meant.  My wife explained the reference from Ann Rand’s Atlas Shrugged and told me I should be flattered (needless to say, I read the book).  Years later, she gave me a large iron sign for my office—the word “Integrity”.  I kept it on my office bookshelves right behind my desk long before my faith was re-ignited.  It seems fitting that God would lead me to the names “Integrous” and “Integriosity”.

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