Create with Integrity

Are you staying grounded during this time? Not in the literal sense but are you able to take a step back and think about what you are doing? One way that we stay grounded is by creating with integrity. This is more than simply reviewing to make sure that what you’re saying is accurate or that your actions check a specific box of behavior. Are you thoughtful about the things you put out into this world? Do you care about long term impact? Creating with integrity is more about how you think of the impact not only for today, but for a lifetime.

My experience in creating with integrity is our business resource group (BRG) Black @ Sprout. First what comes to mind is the desire we had to provide a space for Black people to thrive. A space that creates community, educates, and supports Black people at Sprout, Black people in the tech community, and Black people in this world entirely.

Creating Black @ Sprout with integrity looked like changing our leadership team structure, planning events for us to connect as a group, supporting each other during COVID, speaking up for our people during the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many more. While we have created a multitude of things with integrity, from educating people on our experiences to this blog the goal was always to make sure that whatever happened next a foundation would be laid for others to build upon in their own unique way. That foundation is from people within Sprout and inherently us, as Black people, taking anything and making a lot out of it.

That is why we have worked so hard to generate a variety experiences for everyone to have. After this it will pave the way for creating something greater and better than what we have today. Creating with integrity for Black @ Sprout has led to us fully being able to say we do educate, support and have community. We create with integrity because we have a deep sense of positively impacting this world.

Think about some of these questions for yourself and team as you navigate creating with integrity:

• What is my vision for this?
• What impact do I want to make?
• How does that move us forward?
• How can this be molded with the vision of others?
• What inspiration can be fostered with what we have today?
• What are steps that we can take to move forward?

Creating with integrity is thinking about how you impact your community in whichever space you find yourself. Think about how you’re going to leave whatever you walk into. When you stay grounded in this you’ll begin to look at all elements of your life and consider how you want to be remembered when you leave a room, team, or organization because what you create with integrity can turn today’s actions into tomorrow’s legacy.