The law of small things : creating a habit of integrity in a culture of mistrust / Stuart H. Brody.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brody, Stuart H., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Conduct of life.

Conduct of life--Social aspects.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (241 pages)

Place of Publication:

[Place of publication not identified] : Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Incorporated, [2019]

Summary:

We are living in a time when dishonesty and duplicity are common in our public institutions, our workplaces, and even in our personal relationships. But by recognizing and resisting the small, seemingly inconsequential ways we make moral compromises in our own lives, we can repair the tear in our social and moral fabric. The Law of Small Things begins with an IQ (Integrity Quotient) test designed to reveal the casual way we regard our promises and the misconceptions we have about acting truthfully. The book shows how most people believe that integrity is something we "just have" and that we just do, like a Nike commercial. It depicts these and other deceptions we deploy to appear to act with integrity without actually doing so. The Law of Small Things also exposes how our culture encourages breaches of integrity through an array of "permitted promise-breaking," a language of clichés that equates self-interest with duty, and the "illusion of inconsequence" that excuses small breaches with the breezy confidence that we can fulfill integrity when it counts. Brody challenges the prevailing notion that integrity is a possession you hold permanently. No one "has integrity" and no one is perfect in practicing it. What we have is the opportunity to uphold promises and fulfill duties in each situation that faces us, large and small. Integrity is a practice and a habit of keeping promises, the ones we make explicitly and the ones that are implied in all our relationships. Ultimately, developing skill in the practice of integrity leads us to knowledge of who we are--not in the way the culture defines us, but in the way we truly know ourselves to be.

Contents:

Cover

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Your IQ (Integrity Quotient): A Quiz

Introduction

I. A Short Story about a "Chicago Politician

II. Another Story about Politicians and about Us

III. What Does It Mean to Practice Integrity?

IV. The Pitfalls of Human Reasoning

V. The Illusion of Moral Competence

VI. Reimagining Integrity as a Habit of Discerning Promises

VII. Practicing Integrity as a Habit of Keeping Promises

VIII. Integrity: What's in It for Me?

IX. The Practices of Transformation

X. A New Definition of Integrity

XI. A Reader's Guide to the Laws

PART ONE THE ILLUSION OF INCONSEQUENCE IN EVERYDAY LIFE

1 An Inconsequential Untruth

2 The Small Evasions of Everyday Life

3 Free Dinner on a Friend's Expense Account

4 The Truth about Lying

5 To Thine Own Self Be True

6 Freedom Is No Bargain

7 Just Do the Right Thing

8 Hogging a Table at Starbucks

9 Retaliation and the Practice of Integrity

PART TWO SELF-INTEREST AND THE VEIL OF CONVENIENCE

10 The Trip of a Lifetime

11 The Crippling Use of Handicap Permits

12 A Contest of Wills

13 Your Cousin's Keeper

14 Taking Stock of Your Portfolio

15 Into Thin Air

16 Your Obstinate Car Mechanic

17 Coping with Copyright Laws and Other Pesky Implied Promises

PART THREE SURVIVAL AND COLLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE

18 Your Coworker's Impending Layoff

19 Purveying Falsehood for a Living

20 Pressure to Make Quota

21 Combating Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

22 Your Company's New Mission Statement

23 Bribing Foreign Officials

24 How Do You Know When You Don't Know That You Don't Know?

25 "I Meant to Put in a Good Word for You

I Really Did.

PART FOUR SELF- INTEREST AND LOYALTY VERSUS TRUTH IN AMERICAN POLITICS.

26 The Lying Truth about Negative Campaign Advertisements

27 Break Your Promise and Run for a Third Term

28 The Dysfunction of Partisanship

29 Paying Special Attention to a Campaign Contributor

30 Failing to Prepare for a Vote or a Meeting

31 "I've Just Had It with This Guy.

Afterword

Notes

Glossary of Terms Used in the Practice of Integrity

Acknowledgments

Index

About the Author.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-5230-9814-7

OCLC:

1079007616