“Integrity Matters is an incredibly ambitious and bold book. Jim Bracher and Dan Halloran have offered a proposal for dealing with the moral decline in this country – which has afflicted all of us – including institutions such as government, church and business.

They have identified the cause as a decline in integrity. This book dissects integrity into eight component parts or attributes. Integrity Matters is the end product of and based upon their twenty-four years of identifying and training leadership qualities. The attributes are described in detail and if they become a part of our personal lives will restore integrity which they believe is the bedrock of our political and economic lives.

They start with the individual – each of us has a responsibility to restore integrity in our own lives. And they offer valuable suggestions as to how to accomplish this. Integrity grows from those initial – individual efforts.

In Shakespeare’s words, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”

First self-awareness – then self-knowledge and we are on our way. In our families we teach by example which will expand by our actions into the broader community.

Jim and Dan emphasize the vital role that leaders play in establishing and maintaining integrity. Theirs is a timely and valuable book. It is must reading for all who are concerned about the moral dry rot that is the subject of media exposure. It may be even more important for those who are unaware of the moral cancer that is spreading throughout our lives or do not appreciate its extent.

Whether there are eight attributes, fewer or more, or even whether the concept of integrity precisely defines our present crisis is not as important as is the fact that profound improvements in our social fabric would result from following their proposals. They are the guidelines to the creation of a much needed sense of community and wholeness in our society.

Jim and Dan have done a great service in showing us the path to the restoration of integrity. The responsibility is now ours to follow it.”

--The Honorable Charles B. Renfrew, former United States Federal Judge, former Deputy Attorney General of the United States, former Vice-President, Legal Affairs, Chevron Corporation, San Francisco, California

In an age steeped in moral relativism and easy-going ethics, it is not surprising to find that the Chief Executive Officer of a large corporation stands trial for looting the treasury of his publicly traded company. And recently, that a number of mutual fund managers and currency traders have been indicted for fleecing investors of a large amount of money over a period of years. Nor is it all that surprising to find that a President has sex with an intern in the Oval Office and lies about it.

What has happened to integrity in American life? It has been taking a beating—and a big one—for three decades or so. The erosion of standards of behavior (a result of the assault on respect for authority that began in the 1960s) has, in turn, eroded the concept of conscience and has all but eliminated shame as a factor in one's behavior. How can one be ashamed of breaking standards of behavior if there are none to break?

While it may seem that the "anything goes" approach to life is unstoppable, there are many people who still believe that standards of behavior, conscience and integrity are essential if we are to have a moral and just society. Certainly, the readers of Jim Bracher's column, "Integrity Matters," believe that. And, for every individual who writes in to ask him a question about integrity, there must be thousands who share those same concerns.

You will meet a number of such readers in this book, written by Jim and his colleague Dan Halloran. The answers Jim gives to his readers' questions amount to common sense guidelines through the minefield of moral relativism and "situation ethics."

This book will show you the steps to take to ensure that your business, civic organization or volunteer group can operate with high standards of integrity. The companion question to "Whatever happened to integrity?" is "How can we get it back?" The authors have the answer, and it is yours for the reading—and to implement.

Peter D. Hannaford is the author of nine books (seven about U.S. Presidents) and numerous articles. He has worked in the profession of public affairs for more than 30 years.