We recognise inspiring leaders when we see them in action. We get captured by their motivating talk, brilliant ideas, in-depth knowledge of expertise. If you worked with an inspiring leader (perhaps your boss or a peer), you likely know how it is easy to see this being true. But why we feel inspired by them? What is so hard to distil and highlight “the exact things they do well”? Make such a list is a tough job. At least it was for me. In my years of learning what it takes to be a good leader, I often asked myself what exactly makes a good manager outstanding and win our admiration? I admired my last manager at Amazon, Kate. I worked with her the small part of two years. However, it took me some good time and thinking to realise what was making me feel that way eventually. When I found it though, the answer was simple, stunning, powerful, and all the same so easy to see. Easy but somehow rare: Integrity. Integrity was her superpower. It was the reason why her leadership is inspiring.

In this article, I share my thoughts on why integrity is The One value that makes leaders remembered, influential and successful in their communities.

Reason #1: It removes the shield of importance

Stepping up to hold a position of responsibility is doubtlessly fascinating. Having a broader sphere of influence, be empowered to make a massive impact on your business are all changes that make us feel more important. This feeling is even more evident if rising through the ranks; it shows how different (and hard) is to be successful in various roles. How appealing is “getting to the next level”. How often have you wondered “if I only had his/her position, I could do much more”. Feeling important is human, is a driver for what we believe is happiness or at least the path to a happier status quo. It is hard not to indulge the feeling of importance and do whatever it takes to maintain that status. Leaders use integrity to fight this. Have integrity means recognising that taking more significant responsibilities does not make others’ work less critical to the success of the team. Have integrity means removing the shield of importance. It means allowing ourselves to be more open to critique and accessible for feedback. Integrity tells us that our smell is no different than others.

Reason #2: It breaks the chains of office politics

Office politics is the process and behaviour in human interactions involving power and authority. If you have worked in a workplace together with peers, you know what I am talking. Bringing coffee to your boss, preparing the best document for your director, answer an email in a matter of seconds because “that person will make things happen”. Office politics materialises in different forms and (up to an extent) is the glue that creates hidden processes that make things work. But what if navigating the office with cunning looks, isn’t your thing? Is there another way to do the same and avoid hidden paper trails? Office politics leave behind a trail of unhappy and frustrated people. The ones not in power, the ones that have to play the politics game unwillingly are the first to succumb. Leaders can protect their teams by using integrity and short circuit politics. When your leaders do not represent the office politics games, the powerful hidden lines of politics are also cut off clean. Have integrity does not mean to succumb to failure on a larger scale, but showing the way to others. Showing a way that rewards hard work and simplification. Leaders with integrity simplify how people interact with each other and foster collaboration. When the ones around us do not have an agenda, people are more willing to help, open up and share.

Reason #3: Allows the team to be vulnerable and take risks

In a group where peers are collaborative, and leaders do the right thing, we feel comfortable with failure. When we know what to expect as the result of our omissions, we accept the risks and are more willing to take them. Leaders play a crucial role in allowing teams to take risks. Leaders with integrity will not punish teams for taking risks, but instead, coach to avoid unnecessary risks to go unnoticed. In a team with a leader that has integrity, there are no double standards. The team reviews lessons learned with fairness.

It’s about protection and transparency. When we trust our leaders to use balanced judgment, integrity, we learn the rules of our game and push the boundaries of what is possible. Would you take the risk of failing a task knowing that at any point, even the smallest of the missteps will get you fired? Would you go “above and beyond” into delivering more than the necessary, knowing that it may not have a difference (or even worse, knowing that somebody else will take credit for this?). Leaders that use integrity wipe out these problems, and under their leadership, teams fail and succeed with a healthy rhythm that makes them grow.

Reason #4: It is contagious

Leading a team with integrity, it’s a continuous battle. Leaders who choose integrity often, a lot, decide to take a turn onto the harder road. People often misread integrity for not accepting the ease of social cohesion. Because of this, it is a less favourable choice. It is not only hard to choose the road to integrity but much more commonly unknown that you may think. If you are at the start of your career, you might be taking things for granted because “things were always like this”. You may not know another way despite the loud voice inside your head, yelling to find it. Leaders with integrity are coaching their teams with a path to find “the other way”. When leaders use integrity, their teams learn what the cost of restlessly choosing the harder road. They learn the results, the success stories that reinforce why choosing integrity is the best choice. These teams learn to replicate the same mechanisms at smaller scales, with more straightforward gestures that are contagious. Leaders that teach the value of integrity through their actions, help their teams act with integrity often, a lot.

Thank You

Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed the article and leave your comments and suggestions to make this better. Have you got a role model for integrity in your career? What this person did great that inspired others to act the same?

Simone

Featured Photo by Alexandre Croussette on Unsplash