Are You Leading with Integrity?

Written by Larry Beam, ACC, PE, LEED AP Leadership and Executive Coach at Winning Ways, Inc

“If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.” Former Senator Alan K. Simpson

Have you ever had a boss or a co-worker who you didn’t trust? One that didn’t tell the truth, took credit for work by others, threw their co-workers or direct reports under the bus, publicly humiliated people who made a mistake, or betrayed their team in any number of other ways? How did that affect your work? Did you want to give your best effort? Did you respect that leader? Did you want to stay at that job??

Have you ever had a boss or a co-worker who you trusted implicitly? Who told the truth, even when it wasn’t what you wanted to hear? Who gave credit to the team for successes, but took the blame for mistakes? Who praised achievements in public but discussed mistakes in private?? Did you want to give your best effort? Did you respect that leader? Did you want to stay at that job?

Integrity matters.

What is integrity? It is living your life in alignment with your values. As Brené Brown says: “Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.”?

Integrity in leadership means being honest, trustworthy, dependable, and acting in accordance with one's words and values.?Leaders with integrity:?

• Demonstrate strong ethical principles and do what's right, even when it's difficult or unpopular.?
• Are true to themselves, own up to their mistakes, and don't hide them or blame others.?
• Respect their colleagues and direct reports.
• Respect their company.

Integrity in leadership helps set expectations for acceptable behavior and promotes a positive work culture.?Leaders who demonstrate integrity earn the trust and respect of their co-workers, their team, and their clients. This, in turn, leads to increased profits and a better company reputation.

Leaders who act with integrity are values-driven.

They have a keen sense of ethics and hold themselves and their teams to those high standards. This pays off: in numerous studies and surveys, companies that hold their leaders to high ethical standards perform better. Some specific examples include:

• Values-driven leaders are more effective. A study in the Harvard Business Review found that companies with value-driven leaders instill trust and psychological safety. In turn, trust and psychological safety empower individuals and teams to perform at their highest capabilities.
• Values-based leadership improves organizational culture. A study in the Journal of Business Ethics found that values-based leadership was associated with higher job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job performance.?
• Values-based leadership is crucial during times of crisis. Leaders who prioritize values like integrity, accountability, and transparency are more likely to be trusted by their employees during challenging times and are better equipped to navigate complex challenges.?

It’s not just studies of companies that reinforce the importance of integrity. A survey of 500 U.S. employees published in the book What People Want by Terry Bacon reveals what values matter most to employees:

1. Honesty.?90% say they want honesty and integrity from their manager.

2. Fairness.?89% want their manager to be fair and to hold all employees accountable to the same standards.

3. Trust.?More than 86% want to trust - and be trusted by - their manager.

4. Respect.?84% want to respect - and be respected by - their manager.

5. Dependability.?81% say they want to be able to count on their manager when needed.

6. Collaboration.?77% want to be a part of their manager's team and be asked to contribute ideas and solutions.

7. Genuineness.?76% want their manager to be a genuine person.

8. Appreciation. 74% want their manager to appreciate them for who they are and what they do.

9. Responsiveness.?74% want their manager to listen, understand, and respond.?

What are values?

In psychological terms, a value is a principle or quality that an individual holds in high regard and considers important. These values can shape a person’s attitude and behavior, influencing decisions and actions.?

Brené Brown puts it this way:

“A value is a way of being or believing that we hold most important. Living into our values means that we do more than profess our values, we practice them. We walk our talk - we are clear about what we believe and hold important, and we take care that our intentions, words, thoughts, and behaviors align with those beliefs.”

Think of the leaders you have admired in your life. Did they demonstrate most, if not all these ethical values? (From the BetterUp Coaching Blog, “8 Ethical Values Every Professional Should Adopt” by Elizabeth Perry, ACC) Can you see the overlap with the list of what matters most to employees??

• Honesty
• Integrity
• Charity
• Accountability
• Respect
• Fairness
• Courage
• Excellence

Living according to your values brings purpose, meaning, direction, and confidence. They serve as the compass for your journey of personal and professional growth.

What are your values? Can you name the 2-3 values that are most important to you? Now, are you living those values? Can you look in the mirror and say you are the kind of person who people want to work for? To work with? The kind of person who can always be trusted to do the right thing??

By aligning your actions with your values, you're not just building a solid foundation for your leadership; you're creating a legacy of integrity that will inspire others. Choose to lead with integrity and watch your impact and the relationship with your team grow.

“It is true that integrity alone won’t make you a leader, but without integrity you will never be one.” Zig Zigler

If you would like to unlock more secrets and strategies of highly effective leaders, visit https://www.leadershipevolutionprograms.com/.

Through our executive coaching opportunities and the Leadership Evolution Program, we help leaders of Fortune 500 companies and national organizations better understand and commit to the actions they can take that work best for themselves, their teams, and their organizations.

In addition to coaching for Winning Ways, Inc., Larry Beam is an ICF-certified executive leadership coach and registered professional engineer. Drawing from his experience in both these domains, he partners with his clients to help develop themselves and transform their organizations. With over 20 years in senior leadership positions in engineering firms, his coaching strengths include helping technical leaders improve their people skills such as communication, delegation and empathy, as well as helping leaders balance vision and strategy with tactics and operations.? Forward-thinking, with an optimistic view of the future, Larry is passionate about helping leaders at all levels become the best possible version of themselves.?