“In this rush to conform, we often end up ignoring or overruling our genuine feelings – even intense ones, like longing or anguish – to please our cultures. At that point, we’re divided against ourselves. We aren’t in integrity (one thing) but in duplicity (two things). Or we may try to fit in with a number of different groups, living in multiplicity (multiple things).” – Martha Beck
Every once in a while a book comes along that resonates so deeply with the work I do with leaders that it deserves an entire blog!
Martha Beck’s book The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self is transformative in its revelations on a topic we are all familiar with. Whether it be through family, culture, religion, or personal relationships, integrity is not a new concept. Beck’s insights into personal integrity offer a fresh blueprint for leaders to inspire, build trust, and lead with purpose.
The Relevance of Integrity to Leadership
The word integrity originates from the Latin word integer, which means “intact” or “whole.” The book examines how living with integrity involves a state of being undivided and complete, where our thoughts, feelings, and actions are all in harmony. This concept forms the foundation of the book, as Beck encourages us to align our inner truths with our outer lives to achieve a sense of wholeness and fulfillment.
This perspective makes integrity not just a moral standard but a practical path to personal and professional well-being and this is where I think the topic is poignantly relevant in leadership.
In assessing your level of leadership integrity, ask yourself the following questions:
Are my actions consistent with my beliefs?
Do I tell the truth even when it is uncomfortable to do so?
Am I accountable for my behavior and the decisions and mistakes I make?
Am I honest with myself about how my actions affect others?
Do I hold myself to an aligned ethical standard? What is the result?
Do I always follow through on my commitments and promises?
Do I act in ways that build trust with my direct reports? How do I know?
Have I behaved in a way that is consistent with my core values? My company’s core values?
Leading with Integrity: Small Steps To Take Today
- Audit Your Leadership Alignment
Regularly assess whether your actions, goals, and leadership style align with your values and the organization’s purpose. - Prioritize Transparency
Commit to open communication, even when the truth is difficult to share. Transparency fosters respect and collaboration but isn’t always rewarded extrinsically. - Create Space for Reflection
Schedule time for self-reflection or mindfulness practices to reconnect with your inner compass. Let others know why this matters to you when appropriate and support them in carving out this time where appropriate. - Model Integrity for Your Team
Lead by example. Show your team what it means to act with integrity through your decisions and behavior. This does not mean you know what is right and wrong for everyone but rather you act from that whole and aligned place within you.
I will end with a short story…
An Emperor needed to choose a successor. He gave seeds to children across the kingdom, instructing them to plant and tend them for a year before returning to show the results.
One boy planted his seed and watered it daily, but nothing grew. As months passed, other children’s pots sprouted into trees and flowers, while his pot remained barren. Despite ridicule, he stayed honest and brought his empty pot to the Emperor.
The Emperor announced, “A year ago, I gave you all a seed. I told you to plant the seed and return with your plants. The seeds that I gave you all were boiled and incapable of growth because they were dead. So why do I see before me thousands of plants and only one barren pot? Integrity and courage are more important values for leadership than grand displays and manufactured results. The boy with the empty pot inherits the empire.”
So as a new year dawns, this year perhaps more than ever, it is important for leaders to remember and practice the idea that “Real integrity is doing the right thing whether or not anyone is watching.” -Oprah Winfrey
Leadership begins within. Click here to receive a workbook with exercises from The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self. If we practice, we can create a more authentic, resilient, effective, and wholly aligned leadership path.
Leave a Reply