Edition 17: A Growing Need to Expose More Honesty and Integrity

What could motivate you to lie at work?

Maybe you suffer from imposter syndrome and fear that others will discover you’re inadequate. Perhaps you are trying to avoid conflict with others, so you don't really share what you think. Occasionally, you put fake meetings on your calendar to give yourself free time or claim a "doctor appointment" that was a long lunch with a friend. Or maybe you’re just lying to get ahead.

?Whatever the underlying motivation, dishonesty can be damaging. And organizations depend on individuals who place a premium on their honesty and integrity.?

Is dishonesty a problem in organizations??

Not really.?

Over two decades, I’ve collected data on honesty and integrity from over 100,000 leaders across the globe. When comparing honesty and integrity to 18 other leadership behaviors, I have discovered it is the highest rated of all the competencies we measure. For some people, that may be a welcome statistic that all is right with the world and most leaders are not misbehaving. But, the news frequently reminds us that unethical behavior is a common problem in both businesses and the government.?

Several years ago, a good friend of mine did a lot of work with Enron. He indicated that honesty and integrity were some of the core values, and they talked about them and emphasized their importance all the time. Most people know that because of some "creative accounting" and corporate fraud, the shareholders of Enron lost $74 Billion in the four years before its bankruptcy.

Settling for Average in Honesty

Looking at our data from ratings of 146,395 leaders by over one million raters, only 4.8% of the raters indicated that a leader needed "Significant" or "Some" improvement on saying one thing and doing another.

Many people look at this 4.8% rate and conclude that there is not a serious problem, but by looking closely at the data, we discovered that there is a significant negative impact for even moderate ratings on Honesty and Integrity.?

Distributing leaders into deciles (10 equal groups) based on the Honesty and Integrity ratings, we found that those in the bottom 10% had an average rating on our 5-point scale of 3.21.?

That rating matches up to the "Competent" rating.?

Competent does not necessarily imply that a person has a problem, but rather they are "Okay." You can be competent in technical expertise, relationship building, or innovation.?

But, a competence score in Honesty and Integrity is different. It’s saying, "yeah, they are honest part of the time," and the impact of that rating on leadership effectiveness is that it drops these "competent in honesty" leaders into the 9th?percentile.

?Apparently, having "Okay" ratings on Honesty and Integrity is not okay.

The Struggle with Consistency

As I talk to leaders about Honesty and Integrity, I ask groups if they see a lot of their peers and managers lying, cheating, and engaging in unethical behaviors. Inevitably they do not. But if I ask if they see their peers and managers acting inconsistently, saying one thing and doing another, they say they see this all the time. This is the slippery slope. It’s not like these people are cooking up wild schemes of how to beat the system and make profits at all costs, but it is that they regularly ask other people to do things that they themselves do not do.?

When you make a commitment to another colleague, they remember, but you often forget. People don't expect you to be perfect, but they do expect you to be consistent.

For many people, problems with honesty and integrity boil down to good intentions, wanting to be liked, and over-commitment. Once you start to slide just slightly down that slippery slope, the impact on your overall leadership effectiveness can be devastating. The questions we ask to measure Honesty and Integrity are:?

1. Is a role model and sets a good example for his or her work group.

2. Works hard to walk the talk and avoids saying one thing and doing another.

3. Is careful to honor commitments and keep promises.

So, how would you rate yourself??

How Do We Encourage Greater Honesty and Integrity in the Workplace??

In an article for Harvard Business Review, Michael Schrage describes that "all too often, far greater transparency guarantees far greater conflicts. In fact, legitimate tensions between professional privacy and personal visibility are unavoidable. Confusing transparency with integrity and honesty is a recipe for disaster."

Instead, organizations should take deliberate care to communicate expectations of honesty. They should put stronger structures in place to require and enforce the level of integrity they want to protect and assume is in place. They should take a good look at their own integrity and honesty standards and consider how well those standards are communicated and made evident to their teams.

As leaders move up, the dangers and their consequences multiply. Many of the checks and balances that surrounded them disappear.?

·??????They have access to more discretionary funds.

·???????Direct reports may be less prone to speak up or criticize any action.

·??????The number of groups involved or the time involved in decision-making extends, so consequences are not immediately seen.?

·??????There is stronger pressure to deliver results to meet others' expectations.

Senior leaders set the tone for integrity in organizations.??

The data shows we're not seeing a lot of dishonesty. However, we want and need to see more principle-driven efforts to demonstrate what high honesty and integrity really look like.?

Your friendly neighborhood psychometrician,

Joe Folkman?

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WEBINAR: HONESTY AND INTEGRITY—Establishing Character That Transforms Workforces

Zenger Folkman’s research reveals how to utilize proven behaviors to shape the kind of character that can transform any workforce.

Join Joe Folkman and Jack Zenger for this live webinar where you will:

? Understand how to lead by example and encourage others to do the same

? Assess your code of ethics

? Discover the researched behaviors linked to building honesty and integrity

Leaders set the tone that defines the ethical culture of their workplace. It’s time to meet the demand.

Register Today!

Check out?The 90th Percentile: An Unconventional Leadership Podcast?which ranked in the Top 20 on Apple Podcasts Business Management List in over 25 countries!?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe is globally recognized as a top leader in the field of psychometrics and leadership.?He is the co-founder and President of?Zenger Folkman, a firm specializing in 360 Assessments, leadership, and organizational development. He has over 30 years of experience consulting with some of the world’s most prestigious and successful organizations, public and private. As the 2021 recipient of?ATD’s Distinguished Contribution to Talent Development Award, Joe was recognized for his extensive research and contributions to the learning and development industry. He is a best-selling author/co-author of nine books and a sought-after speaker, consultant, and executive coach with the ability to connect with audiences through compelling research and inspiring stories. Joe is the co-host of?The 90th Percentile Podcast?and featured instructor in?Zenger Folkman’s Leadership Courses.