Have you ever been lied to by a boss, supervisor, or manager?  Has someone you are responsible to not held up their end of the bargain?  Or, perhaps you have seen a person in a position of leadership blame a failure on the men and women in the trenches.  If so, I am sure you felt betrayed and as result your desire to work for the institution or organization was drastically reduced.

The integrity of a leader is a vital component to the effectiveness of their leadership.  Dwight D. Eisenhower said that “the supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”  The act of integrity is simply doing or finishing what you say you were going to do, the follow through of giving your word.

Our integrity is who we are as leaders – in order to keep our integrity intact, we must keep constantly before us the following precepts:

• Follow Through – This is as simple as showing up when we say we are going to and doing what we say we are going to do.  If, for some reason, you can’t physically follow through, ensure you communicate the reason.  After all, we are human and will make mistakes.
• Making Mistakes – When something goes wrong in our organization we, as the leaders, must accept full responsibility.  There is no one else to blame but ourselves.  Be willing to admit it.
• Tell the Truth – Telling the truth consistently is a must.  Sometimes the truth is hard and does not look pretty, but it must be adhered to for the sake of those we serve and the institution we lead.  Practice truth in the small things, and the larger issues will be easier to handle.

Those we serve deserve a leader with integrity; those we lead have too much invested to settle for anything less.  It is never too late to practice integrity, nor is there a time or place that is too insignificant.  From the relationships with our children to the relationships with our organizations, our integrity is a requirement for success.