The Case for Dynamic Integrity

Integrity isn’t rigid, it isn’t perfection. Integrity is dynamic and alive.

It is the integrity of each individual human that is in final examination. On personal integrity hangs humanity's fate. - Buckminster Fuller

When people talk about integrity, it’s often with an air of discipline or even accusation. It’s used as a measuring stick, a way to say, “You’re out of integrity because you’re not doing what you said you would.” But is that really what integrity means? Is it about staying fixed on a path, even when the world around us is changing? I don’t think so.

Integrity is about wholeness. The word itself comes from “integer,” meaning whole. Integrity is about moving through life rooted in our core values—those deep, unchanging principles that guide our lives. But here’s the thing: while our core values might remain steady, how we express them in the world can and should evolve. Integrity is not about being rigid; it’s about being responsive. It’s about being open to new information, new experiences, and allowing our hearts and our whole being to be moved by them.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say that perfection is the enemy of integrity. Just as perfectionism can paralyze us, preventing meaningful progress, a rigid idea of integrity can lock us into patterns that no longer serve us or the world. True integrity—what I call dynamic integrity—is about adapting to the ever-changing landscape of our lives, our relationships, and our world.

Now, I want to talk about a demographic that might surprise you: older straight white men. Yes, you heard that right. This is a demographic that I’ve been thinking about in a new way recently because of the way many of them are showing up.

I recently joined the “White Dudes for Harris” Zoom call, and what I saw felt so new. First of all, one powerful element of getting people together under a call of what makes them similar actually creates the opportunity to see the lines of difference. Every man on that call, from the dozens of speakers to the 190k+ attendees has a different story. A different childhood. Different conditioning that told them, in different ways, what it meant to be a man, to hold power, to be strong. A lot of men that night dropped those masks, shared their stories, and demonstrated their ability to change in alignment with what truly matters to them.

One of the most impactful stories from that night was from Sean Astin (who you might know from Lord of the Rings or Rudy). You can see in this video his active processing of many layers of change and growth that have unfolded in his life.

What I saw on that call was a tremendous amount of conscious choice and reclamation of these narratives. Adaptation to the ways that they’ve grown and learned and loved in their lives.

Here were men of power, influence, wealth, and accomplishment—men who, quite frankly, could have easily stayed in their comfortable bubbles, untouched by the potential stigma and blowback of political engagement. Yet, they showed up. Hundreds of thousands of them showed up, in fact, to participate in a moment, a fundraiser, and a call to action in support of what could become the most progressive presidency of our lifetimes, not to mention the only option in the way of the United States descending into a fascist theocracy (and yes, that is what’s at stake here).

These men didn’t have to be there. They didn’t have to put their reputations, their time, or their resources on the line. But they did, and in doing so, they modeled dynamic integrity. They recognized that the world is changing, and they chose to adapt—to support a candidacy that, just a few years ago, might have seemed impossible. To those who have said, “a woman, especially a woman of color, could never rise to the presidency,” these men are a part of the movement proving them wrong. And they’re doing it not by clinging to old beliefs or party loyalties, but by being willing to shift—to take action rooted in a vision for a better future.

As I write this I hear my own critical voice piping up, “are you really giving accolades to a bunch of powerful white men for showing up for one night when so much is on the line and so many others are doing the thankless, hard work day in and day out?“ I also hear the voice saying, “are you really giving more airtime to a political system that in so many ways fails people and planet?“

That voice is strong in me, and it might be in you as well right now. I respect that. I don’t disagree. But the thing I’m pointing to here isn’t a small thing. It’s not a small thing for men to cry in public about their concern for our collective future rather than keeping their focus and energy on simply retaining their own wealth and power.

So I’ll risk those critical voices to dive into another example of dynamic integrity, Tim Walz. For years, Walz was considered a reliable ally of the NRA, with an A rating from the ultra powerful gun lobby. But then something changed—his daughter. She came to him, horrified and heartbroken by the unspeakable violence of school shootings, and asked him to do something. And he did. Walz got serious about addressing the root causes of gun violence in this country, even if it meant breaking with his past positions and challenging powerful interests. He now has a straight F rating from the NRA. This wasn’t a flip-flop; it was integrity in action. Walz allowed himself to be moved by new information, by his daughter’s plea, and by the shifting needs of the world around him. He adapted, and in doing so, he exemplified what it means to live with dynamic integrity.

And this has had a meaningful impact on the daily lives of countless people who are alive today because of new policies to cut down on gun violence. We have a very long way to go, and integrity matters at every stage.

If humanity does not opt for integrity we are through completely. It is absolutely touch and go. Each one of us could make the difference. - Buckminster Fuller

What these examples show us is that even those we might expect to be the most rigid, the most unchanging, can embrace dynamic integrity. They can choose to adapt and change when it’s rooted in a deep alignment with their values. And this kind of integrity is precisely what we need if we’re going to create a world that’s just, equitable, and capable of responding to the challenges of our time.

So, I invite you to reflect on your own life. Where might you be clinging to a rigid idea of integrity that no longer serves you? Where might you need to embrace a more dynamic approach—one that allows for growth, adaptation, and the possibility of change? Remember, integrity isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being whole. It’s about staying true to your values, even as those values call you to evolve.

Imagine what our world could look like if we all committed to living with dynamic integrity—if we all chose to experiment with changing ourselves in order to effect meaningful change in the world. What kind of future could we create for the next generation if we embraced this approach? How much more powerful, beautiful, and meaningful could our contributions be?

This is where my service, Systems for Flow, comes in. I’ve developed this offering to support you in identifying points of friction, disconnect, and frustration in your life and work, and to help you create elegant solutions and dynamic systems that move your life closer to what you truly want it to be. These systems are flexible, responsive, and aligned with your values, allowing you to live with integrity in a way that’s true to who you are and the world you want to create.

Seeing the dynamic shifts within the lives of the people I work with is an absolute honor and joy. Click here to learn more.