The “Grit” of Integrity
By Daniel Robin
This article explores the vital yet often-overlooked leadership challenge of integrity. When I recently mentioned to an executive friend that I was writing about this topic, he half-smiled. “Thanks for the warning,” he whispered, feigning nervousness. Integrity has become a serious subject in Corporate America (and elsewhere). This article highlights three pitfalls for leading from integrity, and how to design an approach that makes it a little easier.
There are both public and private aspects to integrity – the “external” or social part of integrity involves making and keeping promises (such as being on time, honoring commitments, etc.); while the private, or “internal” aspect of integrity has more to do with promises you make to yourself – that is, how well you hold true to your principles, beliefs and values. Both aspects are important, particularly for leaders, as leaders set the tone for cultural norms (rules) and what is and is not acceptable conduct.
Integrity: Pain or Plain?
Our integrity is a living, breathing “work in progress,” an interrelated set of agreements and interactions that amount to never-ending practice, learning and improvement. The decision to fully engage in the process is about character; how you deal with the inevitable lapses and human imperfections says much more about your integrity than your espoused values and beliefs ever will.
How you “walk the integrity talk” forms the basis for trust, respect and, in most circles, business success. Even if you honor your life’s purpose and passion (or dare to discover what that is), it may still be extremely challenging to strive for 100% integrity; but to not strive for it could be worse.
We all have areas of our lives that contain gaps between say and do. Take an honest look; simple awareness, courtesy of your inner observation deck, can be a powerful and dangerous ally. When we know better, we do better. So instead of buying into our culture’s “conspiracy of mediocrity,” what would happen if we challenged ourselves to clean out our integrity closet (so to speak)? We might clear the air with a colleague, apologize for earlier trespass or pettiness, or put forward a new standard that’s true to your highest potential and maximum integrity.
This brings up two questions. (1) Why would you do such a thing when people in our culture are often as flaky as a bad case of dandruff, and (2) How to do it … how to “lead by design” to make real this sense of a promise being 100% a promise.
Bond. James Bond.
Why indeed. “Normal” is overrated. Apart from the obvious benefits of showing integrity … people seeing you as reliable, consistent, worthy of trust and respect … you gain self-respect and an increased sense of self worth. This is extremely energizing.
When you refuse to say “yes” to something unless you really mean it – your word is your bond – you begin to treat all your commitments as contracts with yourself. When it’s “you with you,” nothing outside of you can take that away … it outlasts and supersedes external approval, criticism, strokes and recognition.
How: Integrity By Design
Integrity can be a leadership design principle, not just a fixed personality trait or set of ideals. If we operate out of a flawed design, we simply won’t “get there from here.” Working harder won’t help at all – with no traction, you may eventually just give up.
The following reflects opportunities to redesign how you are leading your life. Do you presently have
1. Too many agreements to adequately give each what they require. A “healthy stretch” is one thing, but if you have so many external commitments that your “yes” starts sounding more like a “maybe,” it’s time to renegotiate.
2. Mistakes confused with failure. An unreasonable expectation of yourself (or by management) is that success depends on perfection. Not only does this make risk-taking a no-no, but it also squelches creative problem solving and innovation.
3. Blame, not Aim: Do you have a fear of accepting responsibility for getting what you want in life? This is also known as being stuck in the “Blame Frame” – assigning blame or credit to others as a way to avoid owning what is fundamentally up to you.
Change your design assumptions and you’ll change your experience. What might you wish to redesign in your life to express maximum integrity?
Next article: tools and tips for dealing with three major obstacles to integrity so you can more consistently “be your word” in practice.
