Written by Santarvis Brown, Leadership Engineer
Dr. Santarvis Brown has spent 15+ years serving as a leader, innovator, and changemaker in education, showcasing in-depth insight as an administrator, educator, and program director.
Welcome back to my series “The ABCs of Effective Leadership”. Today we’ll be looking at the letter ‘I’ and what it means for savvy, successful leaders. Integrity is one of the most important characteristics effective leaders possess. What is integrity in leadership, and how can you build trust and credibility with those around you? Let’s take a closer look.
What is integrity in leadership?
In business, integrity refers to staying true to a set of specific values by aligning them with your words and actions. More specifically, leaders with integrity uphold their chosen values no matter the circumstances and maintain accountability and transparency when making decisions. They don’t compromise those values just because it would make a situation easier, in other words, but rather are willing to take the long way around if it means leading with integrity.
The importance of integrity in business
Few things are as important to business as trust. You must be able to trust your contacts to uphold their word, for example, and they’ll trust you to do the same. Without that exchange of goodwill, forming and maintaining effective business relationships becomes infinitely more difficult. The same is true in employer-employee relationships. Employers assume their workers will perform their jobs to the best of their ability and employees accept that their employers will pay them on time and uphold the terms of their employment contracts. Integrity forms the very foundation of business in just about every field.
Building integrity
Sometimes people refer to integrity as something people are born with. For these individuals, integrity should be natural and effortless. I don’t like this perspective because it implies that you can never improve your integrity if you make mistakes. Building integrity is sometimes difficult but absolutely possible. Here are some of the steps leaders can take to enhance their sense of integrity and improve their leadership ability.
Define your values
In order to stay true to specific values and perspectives, you must have a set of values and perspectives to uphold. The first step in improving your integrity is to set clear values. What are the core values that guide you in decision-making? Ensure that those values are integral in your style of business and leadership.
Lead by example
Once you have set your values, you must stick to them. Practice what you preach, in other words, and demonstrate integrity in your communication, decisions, and behavior with employees and business contacts. Encourage other people to abide by these values, too.
Make ethical decisions
Sometimes ethical decisions are difficult. They often push leaders to take alternate paths, eschewing easy and simple choices in favor of ethical choices that uphold their values and beliefs. Leaders with integrity do what is right over what is easy.
Integrity in leadership is crucial to long-term success. From treating those around them well to teaching them how to treat others well, too, leaders with integrity have the opportunity to shape organizational culture for the better.
Santarvis Brown, Leadership Engineer
Dr. Santarvis Brown has spent 15+ years serving as a leader, innovator, and changemaker in education, showcasing in-depth insight as an administrator, educator, and program director. A noted speaker, researcher, and full professor, he has lent his speaking talent to many community and educational forums, serving as a keynote speaker. He has also penned several publications tackling issues in civic service, faith, leadership, and education.
