Integrity has been defined as the values and behaviors that people follow that make them feel good about themselves and others. Integrity is at the foundation of leadership. Unfortunately, many leaders around the world today do not display the highest integrity. They will tell tall tales in front of their colleagues and subordinates, cheat to advance their agenda, steal from the organization, and engage in unethical behavior. Leadership then becomes problematic.
The importance of integrity cannot be overstated. If you are a leader, it is your responsibility to uphold the highest level of integrity at all times. When you don't, you will negatively impact your team's and your results. Integrity is critical to maintaining and building trust within your company and beyond. It is important to take responsibility for your actions.
If you are someone who is questioning your integrity, I encourage you to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why you are doing this. Is this a sign of weakness or strength? Are you doing this because you are unsure of your leadership skills or are you really unsure yourself?
Leaders that lack integrity will have followers that doubt their leadership. Integrity is the backbone of leadership and without it, you cannot lead. Integrity dictates that leaders take responsibility for their actions and hold themselves accountable. Integrity also means treating people the way you would want to be treated. Integrity is not for the faint of heart and is very dependent upon personal feelings and perceptions.
It takes credibility and trust to build integrity in others. You cannot fake honesty and trust with these types of individuals. Trust is earned. Leadership then must take steps to earn trust and credibility. If the leader does not believe in his/her abilities, integrity is not going to matter.
We live in a day and age when people tend to trust everything online. You can find out who an individual is by simply looking at their social media profile. You can read all sorts of things about people just from their social media profiles. What more information do you need to gain credibility and trust in other individuals? Do not be afraid to use resources such as the Internet to help build integrity in yourself and your organization. This is where leadership starts and if it doesn't start from within, integrity will not matter.
Integrity is paramount to leadership. There are no shortcuts to integrity. Leaders have to work hard at building integrity within their departments and teams. Integrity can be hard to come by in a chaotic environment. Leaders have to make sure that they set high standards and expectations for themselves and for their team members.
Leaders also have to make sure that they maintain transparency and accountability. There are many examples of unethical behavior and the results could range anywhere from loss of revenue to legal action. Integrity is crucial to everyone within an organization and can make or break a company. When integrity is compromised in an organization it can have severe consequences.
Organizations that are based on integrity and truthfulness are more successful and popular. Why? People want to support organizations that they can believe in. Integrity has everything to do with trust. If people do not trust an organization, they will stop doing business with it. Companies that offer high quality products and services will also lose customers if they are seen to be operating dishonestly or unethically.
It is important for leaders to instill integrity within their organization and their followers. They must show their honesty and commitment to ethics. Leaders who have integrity also have a strong sense of leadership and they know how to lead. Leadership which is based on integrity and truthfulness shows respect for others and have a high regard for their self.
Integrity is something that can be taught and can be instilled within individuals. It is a value system that promotes cooperation and communication between leaders and followers. Honesty is part of it and leaders have to be honest with their followers. Integrity has to begin with the leader. It is a good idea for all leaders to consider maintaining high levels of integrity throughout their career.
Integrity pays. Good leaders who maintain high levels of integrity will possess a high level of respect from their followers and this will pay off in high sales and productivity levels. Those who place importance on integrity as part of their professional life will always have a high quality work environment where their integrity is respected.
