How do I keep my integrity when work pressures me to compromise?

You rarely lose your integrity in one big moment. It slips in small steps — a number nudged, a worry left unsaid, a corner quietly cut — each one so minor you barely notice, until one day you don't recognize the person you've become. So the defense starts with catching the small ones. Decide your lines before the pressure hits, not during it. When you already know what you won't do — what you won't sign, say, or hide — the hard moment is just holding a line you already drew. That's far easier than trying to figure out your ethics while someone's leaning on you. And be honest that it can cost you. Integrity sometimes means a lost deal, a harder conversation, a slower path. If you value your character more than a particular win, you'll sometimes pass on the win. That's not naive. It's the only way to reach the end of a career still able to look yourself in the eye.