Why Does Integrity Even Matter?

Jan 29, 2016 1 Min Read
integrity
Integrity is the Seed that Grows into Trust
“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” – Stephen Covey

Leaders spend years developing specific skills to win people over – charisma, eloquence, wit, intellect. They spend years becoming experts in one or more areas. In the blurry of achieving and conquering goal after goal, it’s easy to overlook core values that lay out the foundation for success and longevity in one’s career. Encoded in the DNA of every effective leader is integrity. Integrity is defined as: “Adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.” Integrity is the seed that grows into trust. Imagine the uneasiness you feel around someone who has broken your trust. It makes your skin crawl; you cannot wait to withdraw from them and retreat.

Author, chief executive officer, chief information officer, chief technologist, product manager and consultant Enrique Fiallo said, based on his extensive experience, “There are many things you can lack and still steer clear of danger. Integrity isn’t one of them. Establish a set of sound ethics policies, integrate them into all business processes, communicate them broadly to all employees, and make clear that you will not tolerate any deviation from any of them. Then live by them…”

Character over reputation

Leaders with integrity are primarily concerned about the quality of their character than their reputation. Your reputation is merely who others think you are, but character is who you really are, and people can often intuitively tell when you’re hiding behind a veil of inauthenticity. University researchers Robert Moorman and Steven Grover investigated the core reason integrity was pivotal to effective leadership. Their findings were published in the International Journal of Leadership StudiesThey postulated that leader integrity matters to followers because of the information it communicates to followers that may help them reconcile the inherent uncertainty of follower decision-making.

Integrity makes followers feel comfortable and safe when trying to predict outcomes of trusting a particular leader. It is part of any follower’s survival instinct, especially when faced with uncertainty. As humans have formed complex hierarchies that are often multi-directional, leaders are sometimes followers and vice versa. Hence, integrity is so crucial to function and thrive within any niche or organisation.

Read More: How to Increase Your Corporate Agility

Questions to ponder

Building integrity is simple although not easy. Asking yourself these five questions could be a good start to engage the mindset of integrity leadership.
1. Do I keep my word and my promises?
2. Do I maintain honest communication with others?
3. Do I keep my environment organised?
4. Do I make myself accountable?
5. Do I keep the right company?
As a leader, it is important to be mindful of these questions. By addressing them, you will see your integrity continue to grow and affect progress around you.

Find out the video below to know more about the learning platform that curates personalised learning just for you


Do you desire to accelerate your growth? Look no further. Necole is a state of the art learning platform that curates personalised learning just for you. To find out more about Necole, click here or email info@leaderonomics.com.

Share This

Leadership

Tags: Be A Leader

Alt
Louisa was formerly an editorial associate and freelance writer with Leaderonomics. An extrovert who loves the outdoors; she thinks change is exciting and should be embraced.
Alt

You May Also Like

Statue of Rembrandt in Amsterdam

Curiosity, Dots & Action: Lessons from Rembrandt

By Roshan Thiran. Learn about Rembrandt, a brilliant painter, renowned for his inventive use of light and shadow. Discover how his curiosity and actions contributed to his success and the value of developing your own style. See how curiosity, action, and insight can help you achieve your goals.

Mar 21, 2023 13 Min Read

Alt

Be A Leader With The Rock

Dwayne Johnson In the first episode of this unique series, Roshan Thiran examines the leadership journey of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, from his failed footballing career to becoming one of Hollywood’s highest paid actors.  RELATED: Click here to the read the full article. Be A Leader is a series that looks into the lives of […]

Mar 19, 2019 23 Min Podcast

Alt

Increasing Your Return on Luck (ROL)

Is luck just a roll of the dice, or can you create your own? Dive into the transformative power of a positive attitude, humility, and curiosity in shaping your luck. Based on Roshan Thiran's article, this video explores how to increase your Return on Luck (ROL) and seize new opportunities.

Oct 27, 2023 4 Min Video

Be a Leader's Digest Reader