Integrity. At one time, integrity, along with credibility, was viewed as one of the defining traits of great leaders. Yet it seems to be less prevalent today when discussing people in leadership. I’m not sure whether that’s a function of it being assumed or, of greater concern, that our expectations have been lowered. Too frequently these days we hear one thing from leaders and the next day see a demonstration of the opposite.
Integrity is defined as “a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values; the quality or state of being complete and undivided”. More simply it means that a person or leader behaves in a way consistent with their defined principles. And so, integrity begins with personal reflection and defining the principles by which you choose to lead. It then turns to enabling those principles to be reinforced through repeated and consistent action. It is in that action that personal integrity is recognized by the team and accentuates team performance.
For example, if, as a leader, I believe that diversity of thinking is critical to effective decision making and helps enable innovation, then my first action is to promote hearing from everyone. I might even proactively engage those team members who might be reticent to offer their ideas.
However, that’s only the first step in demonstrating integrity. I would also need to commit and invest in understanding those differing views, especially those that might run counter to my own or even a majority of the team. It is only through that investment in time, understanding and subsequent debate that the team recognizes that offering their views is not meant to check a box of engagement. Offering their views is meant to force a deeper level of evaluation as part of the decision making process.
And it is in this second needed action, where I believe a leader’s integrity is often challenged. In this case, the principle of diversity of thought meets the reality of managing dissenting opinions. Encouraging and incorporating dissenting opinions requires work. It means building a culture of candor, respect, and trust that promotes engagement and collaboration. That is often the harder part of leading…building people up and recognizing their value. It’s too easy to be dismissive and try to convince the dissenters they are wrong. It’s harder to be humble and empathetic and evaluate the views fully in an effort to reach the best decision. And in the process, make every member of the team feel they are vested in that decision and outcome.
Carl Jung noted, “You are what you do, not what you say you will do”. Is what you say consistent with what you do? More to come.
I CARE 