Embracing Authentic Integrity
Being authentic means being genuine and beyond dispute. Integrity entails honesty and having strong moral principles. Therefore, the term authentic integrity simply means undisputed honesty. For a leader aspiring to create a strong culture of trust, being committed to this attribute is integral.
Authentic integrity in leadership refers to the alignment of your actions, words, and values. In simple terms, it means being honest in everything you do—all interactions and decisions. When you are true to yourself and your principles, you will foster trust and respect throughout your organization.
Having authentic integrity is non-negotiable for leaders; it is the foundation upon which respect is earned, trust is gained, and loyalty is reciprocated. For Supervisors, embracing authentic integrity is essential, as your actions influence the daily operations and ethical behavior of your team. Your commitment to honesty and moral principles sets the standard for your team members, fostering a culture of accountability and mutual respect.
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”
Self-Assessment: Embracing Authentic Integrity
Please take a few moments to contemplate the following self-reflection questions. Where can you identify opportunities for personal growth in your leadership approach?
1. Do I consistently follow through on my promises and commitments?
2. Can people rely on me to be dependable and trustworthy?
3. Am I honest and transparent in my communications, even when the truth is difficult to share?
4. Do I openly admit my mistakes and take responsibility for my actions?
5. Are my actions and decisions aligned with my personal values?
6. Am I a role model for integrity and ethical behavior to my team?
7. Do I regularly reflect on my behavior and seek feedback from others to improve my integrity?
8. Do I maintain my integrity under pressure or in difficult situations?
Remember, this self-assessment is just a starting point for understanding your knowledge of Authentic Integrity as a leader. It's essential to reflect on your responses and actively work on areas where improvement is needed. Additionally, seeking feedback from others and working with your ECFL Leadership Coach can provide valuable insights into your strengths and weaknesses.
Integrity requires being honest and showing a consistent upholding of strong moral and ethical values.
To better understand the influence of leadership on ethics and honesty, we can examine data from research shared by Harvard Business Review. The data, collected from 5,268 leaders across five distinct organizations, categorizes each leader by their management level (e.g., top management, middle management, lower-level management). The accompanying graph illustrates the average ratings of all leaders' performance determined from 360 assessments, highlighting the highest- and lowest-rated organizations. In each organization, the ratings of honesty and integrity consistently decline at each successive management level.
There’s two points we can glean from this study: managers not only tend to over-report their own integrity, but they also assume greater levels of integrity in their direct reports than the direct reports do themselves. The main takeaway for leaders from the research is that people aren’t reliable self-reporters, and we should not take integrity as a given. Nor should we assume that effectiveness entails honesty, and give passes to employees for productivity or seniority. Leaders should instead take deliberate care to communicate expectations of honesty, establishing stronger systems in place to require and enforce the level of integrity they want in their team. They should also take a good look at their own standards of integrity and honesty, and consider how well those standards are communicated and exemplified to their teams.
As leaders advance in their positions, the associated risks and their consequences also escalate, while many of the checks and balances that previously constrained them disappear. Not only do they gain access to larger discretionary funds, but their subordinates are less inclined to voice concerns or criticize actions. Because their decisions are geared towards long-term objectives rather than immediate concerns, the consequences are not immediately apparent. The research shows that integrity standards truly rise—and fall—from the top.
Remember that demonstrating integrity through honesty starts with little things, like the comments you make in your daily interactions. As you read through the following statements, assess your own personal level of honesty and integrity. Use the mental scale of always, sometimes, or not very often as you think about your answers:
Do you?
Give credit where credit is due.
Establish honest two-way communication with colleagues.
Hold a strong sense of right and wrong, and consistently strive to do what's right.
Set high personal standards of integrity.
Show up ready to work and do that for all 8 hours.
Keep to your word on all matters.
Actively model honesty for your teammates and family.
Return phone calls and emails in a timely manner.
Promise only what you can do.
Show respect for others’ ideas.
Work as a team honoring others' work.
Or do you?
Make promises that you may not be able to deliver on.
Allow integrity to take a backseat when pursuing goals.
Get to work around the time you are supposed to be there and leave when you need to.
Embellish or overstate your contribution to seem more valuable to the team.
Hold different ethical standards than your organization.
Rationalize questionable behavior when you feel the ends justify the means.
Get a lot done at work that benefits your personal life.
How did you do?
Did you know?
Many companies have added a new item to their pre-hire employee packets: integrity tests. These tests are designed to see how their new candidate responds to questions about honesty. As the name implies, integrity tests evaluate an individual's reliability, honesty, and ethical mindset. They’re goal is to gauge a candidate's likelihood of engaging in unethical behaviors such as stealing, cheating, or lying.
These tests are given to all new employees to assess their level of and commitment to honesty. By using these types of assessments for job candidates, companies not only let their future employees know that they value honesty but also remind their current employees of what is important in the leadership’s eyes. The message is clear: honesty is a core value that the company looks for in all its employees.
Donnie Smith, former CEO of Tyson Foods, highlights the significance of using simple and honest language, emphasizing its importance when describing organizational performance and accepting constructive criticism. During challenging times, it can be tempting to spin bad news in a positive direction; however, effective leaders build their solid reputations by consistently discussing both the good and bad of their company, rather than distorting the truth. The key word in this commentary is consistency. Consistency fosters a reputation of trustworthiness.
When a leader creates an environment that openly welcomes and encourages respectful disagreement, there is a greater possibility of maintaining high morale and strong relationships throughout the team. By refusing to welcome pushback, leaders miss out on understanding the critical issues facing their organization, limiting their decision-making abilities and isolating valuable perspectives.
Leaders need honest input from their teams during both periods of success and times of challenge. This can only happen by eliminating the fear of retaliation. Leaders must set the standard by intentionally creating opportunities for feedback, even if the feedback is difficult for them to hear. Approaching honesty and feedback in this way encourages deeper insights and more mature decision-making within the company.
To excel in your leadership journey, maintaining a high level of integrity is essential in fostering a culture of trust. By modeling honesty and upholding ethical standards, you cultivate an environment of reliability and respect, where relationships flourish and overall morale and productivity grows. As we have mentioned before, this starts with the everyday actions, attitudes, and behaviors that you demonstrate on a regular basis, i.e., with consistency.
“They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions... but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
Here are some best practices for you to do to strengthen your integrity blueprint:
Take responsibility for your actions and lead by example. Remember to model the behavior you expect from others. Be punctual, reliable, and professional in all your dealings.
Be transparent. Communicate openly with others about decisions, policies, and changes. Remember to share “the Why” and the reasoning behind decisions.
Make promises you can keep. If you say you will do something, make sure you do it.
Admit your mistakes. Acknowledge your errors openly and take responsibility for them. Show that it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.
Treat everyone fairly and consistently. Ensure that you treat others with respect and fairness, without favoritism or bias.
Give credit where it’s due. Acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of others by giving credit for their contributions and successes.
Maintain confidentiality. Respect the privacy of others and handle sensitive information with care.
Uphold ethical standards. Make decisions that are not only beneficial but also ethically sound. Avoid any actions that could be seen as compromising your integrity.
Encourage open communication. Create an environment where people feel safe to speak up, share ideas, and voice concerns without fear of retaliation.
Seek feedback and be open to suggestions for improvement. This shows that you value their input and are committed to personal growth.
Elevate your understanding of Authentic Integrity by taking flight with the following resources. Use this opportunity to navigate, uncover, and expand the horizons of your leadership influence.
Honesty in the Workplace
Ankit Jain
7 Examples of Ethics in the Workplace
from Indeed.com
The Role of Honesty in Success (And Why Cutting Corners is a Bad Idea)
Kate Vitasek