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Integrity, understood as a disposition to behave in prosocial, ethical, and principled ways rather than corrupt or self-serving ones, is among the strongest and most consistent predictors of job performance and leadership effectiveness. The reason is far from mysterious. Leadership, whatever its context, is a collective enterprise. No meaningful goal, from building empires to running companies, has ever been achieved alone. Across history, not just in humans but also other animals, cooperation has depended less on raw power than on trust. Ancient trading societies flourished precisely because reputation constrained behavior: merchants in Phoenician city-states, medieval guilds, and Silk Road networks relied on repeated interactions and informal enforcement mechanisms to ensure that partners honored their commitments. Those who cheated were excluded, not merely judged. Trust, in effect, functioned as an early mechanism for coordination and enforcement. The same logic applies in modern organizations. Teams perform better when members believe that leaders will act fairly, keep promises, and avoid exploiting asymmetries of information or power, or are so focused on their personal gain that they have little concern in harming the group. In line, research shows that leaders perceived as lacking integrity struggle to attract talent, elicit discretionary effort, or sustain collaboration over time. Conversely, leaders known for ethical consistency benefit from faster coordination, lower monitoring costs, and greater willingness among others to take risks on their behalf. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-16X9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-1x1-2.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"Get more insights from Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic","dek":"Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is a professor of organizational psychology at UCL and Columbia University, and the co-founder of DeeperSignals. He has authored 15 books and over 250 scientific articles on the psychology of talent, leadership, AI, and entrepreneurship. ","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Learn More","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/drtomas.com\/intro\/","theme":{"bg":"#2b2d30","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#3b3f46","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91424798,"imageMobileId":91424800,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} The cost of distrust Given a choice, people prefer to collaborate with those they trust not because they are nave, but because distrust is expensive. Working with unreliable or unethical partners increases the likelihood of failure, conflict, and reputational damage. In business, this may mean backing leaders who misrepresent performance or shift blame. In politics, it can mean empowering those who erode institutions for personal gain. In both cases, the costs are borne not only by the followers but by the system as a whole. This is why chronic corruption is one of the most reliable markers of institutional breakdown. As documented year after year by Transparency International in its Corruption Perceptions Index, countries that score lowest on integrity and trust tend to share familiar pathologies: weak rule of law, politicized institutions, capital flight, and persistent underinvestment, generally caused by parasitic governments and destructive leadership. By contrast, countries that consistently rank at the top of integrity and trust measures benefit from stronger institutions, more predictable governance, and higher levels of social and economic cooperation. To be sure, these societies are not free of self-interest or ambition; rather, they have succeeded in aligning incentives so that ethical behavior is rewarded and corruption is costly, censoring selfish short-term individual gains in favor of collective long-term benefits. Measuring integrity So, how can we tell whether a person has integrity, or gauge someones moral reliability? The question is especially consequential when applied to leaders, whose decisions shape the success, welfare, and future prospects of others. Fortunately, behavioral science offers several useful insights, even if it stops short of perfect certainty. First, integrity is not directly observable. Unlike physical attributes such as height or hair color, it cannot be seen or measured at a glance. Instead, it is inferred or deducted from patterns of behavior, consistency over time, and alignment between words and deeds. Integrity is therefore an attribution rather than a trait we can observe directly, which makes assessment inherently probabilistic rather than definitive. Second, short-term interactions are often misleading. Because appearing ethical brings clear benefits (trust, influence, reduced scrutiny, and access to resources) people are incentivized to signal integrity even when they lack it. This helps explain why superficially ethical environments can sometimes attract parasitic actors who exploit the goodwill and assumptions of others. In contrast, in persistently corrupt settings, distrust becomes the default, and even well-intentioned individuals are treated with suspicion. Context shapes both behavior and perception. A parallel and increasingly robust line of evidence comes from research on the so-called dark traits, narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. Although conceptually distinct, these traits share a common core of low empathy, emotional coldness, and a tendency to instrumentalize others. From an integrity standpoint, this combination is toxic. Individuals high on these traits are less constrained by guilt or concern for others, more willing to bend or ignore rules, and more likely to justify unethical behavior as necessary, deserved, or clever rather than wrong. Psychopathy is most directly linked to callousness and fearlessness, reducing sensitivity to punishment and moral emotion. Machiavellianism predicts strategic deception, cynicism about human motives, and a belief that ends justify means. Narcissism, especially in its more grandiose forms, adds entitlement and moral exceptionalism, the belief that normal rules apply to others but not to oneself. Together, these traits reliably predict counterproductive work behaviors, ethical transgressions, and integrity failures, particularly in roles that confer power, discretion, and weak oversight. Crucially, this is not because such individuals lack intelligence or self-control, but because their motivational architecture is misaligned with prosocial norms. Where integrity depends on empathy, respect for authority, and an internalized concern for collective outcomes, dark traits tilt decison making toward self-interest, dominance, and short term gain, making them among the strongest dispositional red flags for integrity risk in organizational life. Third, while integrity cannot be measured perfectly, it can be assessed meaningfully. Research shows that peer ratings are among the most reliable indicators, precisely because integrity is reputational: it reveals itself in how people behave when others depend on them. Longitudinal data, such as 360-degree feedback, is especially informative. Personality traits like conscientiousness, altruism, and self-control (including the capacity to self-edit) also predict ethical conduct, as does past behavior. Self-reports are often dismissed, but well-designed measures still differentiate reliably between individuals with higher and lower integrity. Track records matter, even if they do not render anyone immune to temptation. As Warren Buffett famously observed, reputation takes a lifetime to build and a moment to destroy. Finally, the environment matters. Ethical failures are not only the result of bad apples, but also of rotten barrels. Weak governance, misaligned incentives, and tolerance for small transgressions can erode integrity even among otherwise decent individuals, while well-designed systems can reinforce ethical behavior by making misconduct costly and transparency unavoidable. Sapping growth Taken together, these points suggest that integrity is neither inscrutable nor guaranteed. Whether in governments, firms, or teams, integrity functions as an enabling condition for coordination and progress. When trust erodes, actors devote more effort to monitoring, hedging, and self-protection, leaving less energy for innovation or growth. In this sense, integrity is not merely a moral ideal, but a form of social infrastructure: largely invisible when it works, and painfully obvious when it does not. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-16X9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-1x1-2.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"Get more insights from Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic","dek":"Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is a professor of organizational psychology at UCL and Columbia University, and the co-founder of DeeperSignals. He has authored 15 books and over 250 scientific articles on the psychology of talent, leadership, AI, and entrepreneurship. ","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Learn More","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/drtomas.com\/intro\/","theme":{"bg":"#2b2d30","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#3b3f46","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91424798,"imageMobileId":91424800,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
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AI inspired many employers to take a wait-and-see approach to hiring in 2025, but new data suggest theyll be returning to the market in search of certain skills in 2026. According to Upworks In-Demand Skills 2026 report, demand for AI-specific proficiencies have more than doubled on the freelancer platform over the last year. But at the same time, nearly half of employers also say theyre also putting a premium on human skills, like creativity, emotional intelligence, resilience and innovation. When we look at the fastest growing skills in terms of demand, AI is all over it. Thats not surprising, says Dr. Gabby Burlacu, licensed organizational psychologist and Upworks senior research manager. However: What is interesting is that this is not growing demand for AI generalists, or even necessarily people who can build AI tools, but rather its growing demand for AI applied within a context. In 2026, more employers want to inject AI into more business operations, and are seeking candidates that are not only able to utilize the technology, but also maximize its impact by leveraging their human skills and unique experience. Integrating, Not Building According to the Upwork study, demand for skills tied to AI is up 109% year-over-year. Skills related to AI video and content creation saw the biggest jump with a 329% increase, followed by AI integration (which helps inject the technology into existing business practices) at 178%. AI data annotation, which specializes in preparing and training content for the purpose of AI model training, ranked third with 154% demand growth. At the same time, the study found that employers are looking for what are traditionally labelled as soft skills or human skills, which are increasingly viewed as vital enablers of new tech tools. We are seeing enormous demand and recognition from business leaders of just how important nontechnical and uniquely human skill sets are, says Dr. Burlacu. They want human judgment, they want creativity, they want innovation, and when we asked business leaders what skills are becoming critical in an AI world, the ability to build or even engage with AI tools wasn’t at the top of that list; it was learning agility and adaptability. The study, and others like it, suggest AI isnt replacing human workers on a wide scale as initially feared. Instead, its changing the kinds of skills employers are looking for, putting a higher premium on traits that cant be automated. A Labor Market Bounce-back in 2026? Dr. Burlacu explains that each time a new disruptive AI tool or category of tools hits the market, employers tend to pull back on hiring in that domain as they figure out what exactly the technology is capable of, and where it falls short. This [research] suggests that the impact of AI is taking shape, and that it is much more about augmenting how existing domains and roles are done, versus completely replacing the need for human skills, says Dr. Burlacu. There’s a tremendous opportunity to use AI to do the work that you do and that you specialize in [today] differently. That is what business leaders are seeking. Dr. Burlacu adds that as employers gain a deeper understanding of how AI will impact their business, theyre gradually moving off the sidelines and pursuing the skills they need to best utilize the new technology. Towards an AI-Enabled Human Workforce The Upwork study is consistent with a recent McKinsey report titled Agents, robots, and us: Skill partnerships in the age of AI, which suggests the future of work will be defined by harnessing the best of both technology and humans. In that study, researchers examined 7,000 commonly sought-after skills from real job postings across industries and organized them based on those that could be fully automated today, those that will likely never be automated, and those that fell somewhere in between. They ultimately found roughly 70% of skills can be enhanced by technology, but still rely on human expertise. Another 12% remain entirely within the domain of humans while just 18% can be fully handed over to technology. The implication is that it’s going to be a world in which we upgrade that skill by using it in conjunction with AI, says the studys co-author and McKinsey Global Institute Partner Anu Madgavkar. If we can use AI as an assistant or a collaborator or a co-worker, then our own ability to use that skill and deploy it will be enhanced. Madgavkar explains that in our AI-enabled future, workers wont need the deep technical expertise required to build their own AI tools. Instead, they will be challenged to utilize the technology to enhance their own capabilities. People’s roles are going to change quite a lot and very fast, and you can imagine theres a degree of anxiety or uncertainty about that, says Madgavkar. It’s not just about adoption; it is indeed about reimagining how work gets done, not just at the level of an individual’s job or set of tasks, but really as a whole workflow. The Transition is Already Underway Whether it was the ability to use word processors, social media or cloud computing, candidates have long been encouraged to list proficiency with the hottest technology of the day on their resumes. What’s new is the pace and the level of acceleration, explains Aashna Kircher, the group general manager of CHRO products at Workday. The evolution of some of these tools is happening at a pace weve never seen, where every day there are new skills, new learnings, new understandings of what is and isnt possible. Fortunately, AI is itself making that education more attainable. According to a Workdays Elevating Human Potential: The AI Skills Revolution report, 83% of employees globally say AI has enhanced their ability to learn new skills. As the ability to leverage AI to work more efficiently becomes table stakes, Kircher says workers and candidates are quickly becoming valued for the things they can offer that the technology cant. You need to apply context, values, nuanced to AI outputs and systems, as well as ethical decision making, emotional intelligence, relationship building and connection conflict resolution, leadership skills, she says. It’s not that technical skills aren’t important. They certainly are, but some of these other skills are actually becoming outsized in importance relative to some of the technology skills.
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E-Commerce
Below, Brad Stulberg shares five key insights from his new book, The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World. Brad is on faculty at the University of Michigan. He is a performance coach and regularly contributes pieces about sustainable excellence to the New York Times. His work has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic, among many other outlets. He serves as co-host of the podcast excellence, actually. Whats the big idea? What if excellence isnt about winning, talent, or perfect conditions? Lasting performance and real fulfillment live in our curiosity, resilience, and love of the process. Listen to the audio version of this Book Biteread by Brad himselfbelow, or in the Next Big Idea App. 1. The power of curiosity to fuel greatness. Before Kobe Bryants tragic death, he was asked, Do you love to win or do you hate to lose? He responded, Im neither. I play to figure things out. I play to learn something. When you fixate on winning or losing or some other external outcome, it takes you out of the present. It makes it impossible to enter a flow state. It makes you fragile. But when you adopt a mindset of curiosity and growth, it relieves pressure and helps you stay anchored in the moment. Kobe Bryant was known for his killer instinctThe Mamba Mentalityand yet, even he recognized the difference between the finite game and the infinite game. The finite game is time-bound; there are winners and losers. The infinite game knows no end; the only goal is to keep playing, keep learning, and keep discovering. All the greats have had to learn that the infinite game is every bit as important as the finite one. Whether you play basketball or cello, repair cars, build tables, write books, or coach young people, your craft can be a vessel for self-discovery. We have a biological imperative to flourish, evolve, and grow. Theres no greater source of fulfillment and satisfaction than pushing yourself, pursuing a challenge, and developing along the way. The real cycle youre working in is a cycle called yourself, wrote Robert Pirsig, about his experience with motorcycle maintenance. The machine that appears to be out there and the person that appears to be in here are not two separate things. They grow toward Quality or fall away from Quality together. Excellence requires a hunger for growtha deep curiosity to figure out what youre capable of, a curiosity to better know your craft, and a curiosity to better know yourself. 2. The power of performing well, even when you dont feel your best. A surgeon that I have coached for a long time was called into an emergency case at two in the morning, and his goal was simple: save as much of someones leg as possible. My client was tired, and his mind was noisy. He felt off, and yet he took all that with him into the operating room and nailed the case anyway. Something that we see over and over in the current culture is that people think they need to fix something before they can act. Now, you shouldnt suppress or ignore your emotions. If you can do something to feel better, do it, but the truth is you can feel like crap and still perform well. Its easy to do great work when everything is clicking, but excellence means being able to deliver even when its not. Often, its the act of getting started that shifts how you feel. Its easy to do great work when everything is clicking, but excellence means being able to deliver even when its not. Its saying, Okay, this might be harder than usual, but I can manage, and then you manage. The greats arent great because they always have perfect conditions to do meaningful work. The greats are great because they show up and give their best shot even when they dont. You could be a surgeon who didnt get enough sleep, a student with a headache before a big exam, or an athlete who couldnt get their usual pre-event meal. Those conditions arent ideal, but catastrophizing is worse. Too often, we spiral because we feel off, but the problem isnt always the feeling. The problem is freaking out about the feeling. You can feel tired, stressed, unsure, and still deliver. You can put the not-so-great feelings or conditions in the passenger seat, take them along for the ride, and show up anyway. The ability to remain calm amid challenges is a core element of what psychologists call self-efficacy, meaning an evidence-based belief that you are capable of showing up, working through challenges, and excelling in uncertain or highly-charged circumstances. Decades of research show that individuals who score high in self-efficacy are better able to work through moments when they feel lost or stuck, be that in operating rooms, on playing fields, in the classroom, or in a boardroom. One of the best things you can do for your confidence is to feel off and yet still perform well. It frees you from needing to have perfect conditions to give it a go. You give yourself the evidence that you are resilient, durable, robust, and can get the job done. 3. True discipline versus fake discipline. True discipline bridges the gap between motivation and action, making the former less necessary for the latter. When you have discipline, you dont need to feel a certain way to show up and get started. You just do. Fake discipline is a chest-thumping, performative act of toughness. Thats not the real thing. The real thing is showing up for what matters and doing what you need to do. The irony is that when you do hard things that you dont feel like doing in the short run, you usually end up feeling better in the long run. The real thing is showing up for what matters and doing what you need to do. Fake discipline is loud, performative, and wants everyone to pay attention to it. Real discipline is quiet because its too busy getting what you need to get things done, rather than parading around. 4. The 48-hour rule. Whether you succeed or fail, give yourself 48 hours to celebrate the victory or grieve the defeat. Then, get back to doing the work. Results are an emotional roller coaster, but the work doesnt change. Neurons that fire together wire together. Its easy to get addicted to the high of external validation or become consumed by the low of failure. You want to avoid this trap at all costs. Its kryptonite for sustaining high performance. Doing the work has a special way of putting both success and failure into their respective places. The work itself doesnt change nearly as fast as our emotionswin or lose. Great day or terrible day, the blank page is still the blank page. A lap in the pool is still 25 meters. The classroom still needs to be taught. The pregame speech still needs to be given. Returning to the work keeps our focus rooted in the process, not the outcome. It reminds us of why we committed to our crafts in the first place. The work is the win. Its the best medicine. 48 hours is an arbitrary amount that you can stretch or shrink to suit you,but the concept still stands. It ensures that we dont become overly attached to success or failure, each of which comes with its own trappings. 5. Fulfillment and joy versus external achievement. Matthew Perry was one of four actors to ever have a number one movie and TV series. During that time, he dated Julia Roberts, bought the oceanfront house of his dreams, and made $1 million per episode of Friends. But as he repeatedly wrote in his memoir, none of it was enough. You can have it all, but there is no greater trap than thinking external achievement will fulfill you. The neurochemicals associated with wanting dopamine are much stronger than the ones associated with liking serotonin. The human brain is wired to want more. Its how we evolved. We are suckers for the chase. We struggle to be content. The only Zen youre going to find on top of the mountain is the Zen that you bring up there along the way. We all have holes were trying to fill, but no achievement, income, fancy watch, or substance is going to fill those holes in any meaningful way. Researchers call this the arrival fallacy, and recognizing it is liberating because you can stop expecting the next accomplishment to make you feel like a finished product. You can turn your attention to the process, finding joy, energy, and fulfillment in the work, rather than in the illusion of what might happen if or when you arrive. In his 2022 memoir, Perry wrote, Im certain that I got famous so I would not waste my entire life trying to get famous. You have to get famous to know that its not the answer. And nobody who is not famous will ever truly believe that. The trap of fame status doesnt just affect actors. It affects artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, writers, bakers, athletes, knowledge workers, teachers, coachesmany of whom have made it to the proverbial mountaintop. It affects all of us. If you cant find joy and fulfillment in the climb, none of it is going to matter. The only Zen youre going to find on top of the mountain is the Zen that you bring up there along the way. The only place youre going to find the love you are looking for is by losing yourself in meaningful pursuits, expressing your innate gifts and creativity, and walking the path with good people. Thats what excellence is all about. Enjoy our full library of Book Bitesread by the authors!in the Next Big Idea app. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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