The Search Is On For Integrity: Author Shows How It's About More Than Honesty

and Transparency

NEW YORK, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- A myriad of corporate and government scandals have brought the concept of "integrity" to the forefront of American Consciousness. Now, according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, "integrity" is the most looked-up word in the American lexicon.

Dr. Henry Cloud, corporate consultant and author of the forthcoming book, INTEGRITY: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality (Collins; February 2006), says this is not surprising. "It's because so many people have recently been left in the destructive wake of leaders who lack integrity," he said. "People are interested in learning more about integrity and what it is really about."

But Dr. Cloud also points out that integrity encompasses much more than honesty and transparency. Dr. Cloud says, "Integrity is character, ethics and morals. But it is also more, as even the Oxford Dictionary and the history of the word integrity itself tell us... the origins of the word we can see in the French and Latin meanings of intact, integral, and entirety. The concept means that the 'whole thing is working well, undivided, integrated, intact and uncorrupted.'"

It is this type of integrity that is the key to success in the working world. And when individuals do not possess the entirely integrated skill set of character, intelligence, seeing the full picture, and not letting personal issues get in the way, they often fall short. Dr. Cloud explains, "I have seen the problems that these personal character issues bring...even in people with enormous brains and talent."

Dr. Cloud is available for interview to discuss why integrity is so popular, as well as the broader definition of the word. He is a clinical psychologist with an extensive background in both the clinical and corporate consulting world, and has a well-established private consulting practice in California. He is an international speaker, and coauthor of the bestsellers BOUNDARIES, NINE THINGS YOU SIMPLY MUST DO, CHANGES THAT HEAL, and numerous other books. He has been a guest on many radio and television shows and networks and has written for numerous publications. SOURCE Harper Collins