Integrity is a memoir by Egil Krogh detailing his experiences when jailed for involvement in the Watergate scandal. Krogh is the memoir's narrator, and he tells his narrative from the first-person point of view using an enlightening and confident tone. The main points in the memoir are integrity, ethical leadership and organizational learning.
The first central theme in the memoir is integrity. Krogh starts his memoir by first giving the details on how he developed an interest in governance and politics while he was a student at the Harvard School of Law. After graduating, Krogh started working as an attorney in the US Department of Justice and later joined Nixon's administration. In Nixon's administration, Krogh worked under John Ehrlichman. Krogh says that working in the White House was his greatest achievement, but he faced problems due to his lack of integrity. Krogh got involved in the Watergate scandal that landed him in Jail. While in Jail, Krogh talks about the significance of upholding integrity while holding a public office. Krogh insists that anyone in public office must be honest, conscientious, and follow the law. Krogh reminds readers that whoever fails to uphold integrity while holding a public office will face similar consequences he went through.
The other imperative point emphasized by Krogh in his memoir is the importance of valuing ethical leadership. Krogh tells readers to go beyond normal regulations and encourage moral behavior in their places of work. Krogh expounds ethical leadership as a process that encourages precision, responsibility, respecting fellow employees and leading as a role model. Krogh openly admits that he never practiced ethical leadership during his tenure, greatly contributing to his involvement in the Watergate scandal.
In conclusion, Krogh urges organizations to learn from their mistakes and encourage flexibility. According to Krogh, learning is a continuous process, and organizations should encourage their employees to offer positive criticism to improve the overall leadership within the organization. Krogh finishes his memoir by sharing the best practices organizations should adopt to make a positive change and attain greater achievements.
