Leadership Integrity: The Small Steps That Win Big | #morale
by Kate Nasser | 6 Comments »
Leadership Integrity: The Small Steps That Win Big
Integrity — especially leadership integrity — transforms every moment and result. Leadership integrity sets and builds a powerful organizational culture of integrity. It develops accountability vs. blame. It increases commitment and ownership. It replaces useless detours with a straight road to productivity.
Leadership Integrity: Small Steps That Make Big Difference. Image by Courtney via Flickr.
Leadership Integrity: 5 Small Steps That Make a Big Difference!
Small steps of integrity in general makes a big difference in life, business, and your career. In leadership, it creates a tremendous transformation.
- Communicate! Communication is the small yet important step to let others know your vision, intention, and expectations. Leadership integrity requires that you step out of the shadows.
- Know your weaknesses & own them. To lead others with integrity, you must own what you are not good at. Own up to the trouble you create without excuses. Fix the trouble. This is leadership integrity.
- Separate out your personal preferences. Moderate your self-focus. Leaders who expect everyone to operate their preferred way crush contribution. Consider all different work styles and needs. Help meld them to reach organizational goals.
- Be fair not neutral. When there are disagreements and friction among employees, leaders must be fair to all. Some leaders mistakenly take a neutral stance thinking this is fair. Neutrality shirks your leadership responsibility. Be impartial and fair — not neutral.
- Be honest and civil. Being blunt and hurtful and calling it honest shows a huge lack of integrity. There is nothing upstanding about degrading others. Speak truthfully without dumping judgmental put downs on others. Honesty and civility show leadership integrity.
Self-awareness, open-mindedness, courage, and communication will show your leadership integrity to those you lead. It will ripple through the organization to customers and suppliers. You and your teams will be known as the brand of integrity! Well worth the effort and full of ROI.
From my professional experience to your success,
Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™
Related Post:
Leadership Teamwork: Making Apologies Worthy of Acceptance
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Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™, delivers coaching, consulting, training, and keynotes on leading change, employee engagement, teamwork, and delivering the ultimate customer service. She turns interaction obstacles into interpersonal success. See this site for workshop outlines, keynote footage, and customer results.
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~Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™
Kate,
Truly appreciate that you included “be fair, not neutral.” It truly is a key part of leading with integrity. When leaders go for neutral, ultimately people suffer and wish that the leader would step up to help the team move forward. I’ve coached people who have struggled with this concept and coached others who have felt like a victim of a neutral leader. Fairness requires us to take a stand – not easy but essential.
Thanks, Kate! Will share!
Alli
Hi Alli,
That particular step is one that many leaders struggle with. For awhile I wondered if they didn’t know the difference between fair and neutral. Over time it became clear that confusion was not the issue. They wanted to be liked by all. When we coach them to realize that and how many suffer because of their comfort zone, they take clear steps to being better and better leaders.
Many thanks for your insight, your coaching blog at http://breaktheframe.com and all you do.
Kate
What a fantastic distinction for leaders Kate – leadership vs personal integrity. Like Alli I really appreciate the distinction between fair and neutral. The added observation in your comment Kate about how the pull to be neutral is sourced by the desire to be liked is an important insight. Yoir point about being blunt and hurtful not being about honesty is spot on – when that comes from a leader it is just plain bullying.
Thank you so much Susan. That fair vs. neutral is one I have seen over and over with leaders I was coaching. Many weren’t aware of just how badly it impacted their employees.
I agree with you about blunt and hurtful — it really is unacceptable in leaders. It diminishes them and their influence. Leaders can lead without sinking to that level.
Many thanks!
Kate
[…] Leadership Integrity: 5 Small Steps That Make a Big Difference!Small steps of integrity in general makes a big difference in life, business, and your career. In leadership, it creates a tremendous transformation.Communicate! Communication is the small yet important step to let others know your vision, intention, and expectations. Leadership integrity requires that you step out of the shadows.Know your weaknesses & own them. To lead others with integrity, you must own what you are not good at. Own up to the trouble you create without excuses. Fix the trouble. This is leadership integrity.Separate out your personal preferences. Moderate your self-focus. Leaders who expect everyone to operate their preferred way crush contribution. Consider all different work styles and needs. Help meld them to reach organizational goals. […]
[…] Career & leadership integrity can transform everything in its wake. Small steps of integrity that win big from Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™. […]