By Azhari Karim                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
THERE is a concerted move by concerned parties from the                                                                                               
government and public quarters to bring in some form of a                                                                                             
national integrity system.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
At the heart of this exercise is the integration of the values                                                                                        
and systems that can support a national outlook on ethics and                                                                                         
an accepted code of behaviour in society.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
While the issue is addressed to everyone, the import of the                                                                                           
matter centres on how we manage ourselves, how we interact                                                                                            
with others and how we conduct ourselves in an organisation                                                                                           
and consequently the community, society and the nation.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
At various points the manager is called upon to put his best                                                                                          
foot forward and execute his ideas and plans with the best                                                                                            
interest of his employers at heart.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
In most cases, however, the manager is influenced by other                                                                                            
factors. Often these are factors that are externally-based and                                                                                        
not internally-rounded. The latter must be given its due                                                                                              
place.                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
In our haste to make a success of our lives, we usually forget                                                                                        
to take charge of things. Instead we are happy to let others                                                                                          
do things for us. We are willing, for instance, to let our                                                                                            
subordinates decide on important matters concerning the                                                                                               
interest of the company.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
The habit of letting others run our lives does not say very                                                                                           
much about us and the leadership ability of our managers. What                                                                                        
is desired is for the manager to keep his options available,                                                                                          
to preserve an element of choice, to maintain a certain                                                                                               
independence of action and finally to remain flexible.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
Only if we can do all of the above, can we then say that we                                                                                           
have under stood the meaning of the phrase: "Knowing the                                                                                         
leadership of the logical I and the essential You."                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
Failure to appreciate this in the past caused businesses to                                                                                           
fold up and companies to incur losses and when taken to the                                                                                           
national level, resulted in connects and wars with untold                                                                                             
misery to humans everywhere.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
To prevent such a situation from getting out of, hand, we need                                                                                        
to look inward once again and rekindle the name of leadership                                                                                         
that has always been within us waiting to be stoked. How can                                                                                          
we ever hope to achieve this?                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
To begin with, we must first try to understand ourselves. The                                                                                         
secret behind the principle of the "leadership of the logical                                                                                    
I and the essential You" lies in how we manage our lives.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
All it takes to realise that we can do this well enough if we                                                                                         
know what we are capable of. Often, we are not aware that we                                                                                          
are made of customer stuff. What are these?                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
We were all made to believe that Man is a microcosm of the                                                                                            
universe. We are indeed the atom of all transient beings.                                                                                             
Appreciation Off this truth alone will give us the courage to                                                                                         
face up to the challenges of the coming century.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
Realising this, we must next understand how the body works.                                                                                           
For this we owe a lot to medicine and other living sciences.                                                                                          
The human body, being the essence of all creation, contains                                                                                           
the answers and solutions to the different problems that we                                                                                           
are facing today.                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
Taking an example from medicine to show how much we can learn                                                                                         
from the human body itself, man is capable of self-healing.                                                                                           
There is something we have in us that allows old cells to be                                                                                          
the body does not stop growing. There is a constant process of                                                                                        
renewal and rejuvenation. From an understanding of this fact,                                                                                         
Man has also learned the art of creation and invention.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
We know that the rhythm and regularity of the heartbeat and                                                                                           
the smoothness of our blood circulation have given man the                                                                                            
idea for the invention of the car engine.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
The lapping back and forth of the tide waters has also started                                                                                        
man onto inventing the clock, which by accident, also follows                                                                                         
the pace of the heartbeat.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
All these show that we have the wherewithal within us to move                                                                                         
ahead in life if only we can sit back and reflect a little.                                                                                           
Unfortunately for most of us, the instant reflex is to look                                                                                           
for solutions outside ourselves.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
We even pass on the blame to others.  For the worst cases and                                                                                         
the failures, we drown ourselves in alcohol and become hooked                                                                                         
on dangerous drugs.  Alternatively, we turn to the socalled                                                                                           
"gurus" that abound in our society. For most managers they                                                                                  
lead a life that is at best mediocre and at worst pathetic.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
A return to a more basic idea of things is necessary in the                                                                                           
present time. The logical "I" or the essential "You" demands a                                                                    
less-sophisticated view of the world but yet rooted in common                                                                                         
sense and reasonableness.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
There is little room for complacency and muddling through. The                                                                                        
quest is to attain excellence and quality through a renewed                                                                                           
sense of our self-worth as outlined above.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
A national integrity system, to be effective, must consist of                                                                                         
values that project the individuals' selfworth and                                                                                                    
self-esteem, and gives the person enough room to realise his                                                                                          
best potential for himself, the organisation and the                                                                                                  
community.                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Nothing is much simpler than to start with the individual                                                                                             
himself. But many will say this is easier said than done. The                                                                                         
resolve is to immediately take charge of one's life.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
On another level, efforts by organisations and institutions,                                                                                          
both governmental and private, to come up with a Code of                                                                                              
Ethics or Code of Conduct must continue. At a later stage,                                                                                            
elements of all these individual codes of ethics/conduct can                                                                                          
be integrated into one single document. Its national                                                                                                  
ramification can then be discussed.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
Briefly a National Integrity System can consist of the                                                                                                
following:                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
* Objectives                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
* Principles                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
* Definitions                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
* Code of Ethics/Conduct                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
A composite document can be drawn up based on the above                                                                                               
inputs.