Great Leaders Have Integrity
GREAT LEADERS HAVE INTEGRITY
The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.
– Dwight D. Eisenhower
Leadership character is an essential element needed to become successful in today’s working environment. Though leader character is not something that may be easily articulated on a resume, leader character in the workplace helps to keep everyone accountable, collaborative, and fair. Integrity is a particularly relevant aspect of leader character that is essential to individual, team, and organizational success.
What is Integrity?
Integrity is defined as holding oneself to a high moral standard and behaving consistently with ethical standards, even in difficult situations. It encompasses honesty, strong moral principles, and adherence to ethical norms. Integrity involves consistency in actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. Individuals high in integrity are seen by others as behaving in a way that is consistent with their personal values and beliefs and with organizational policies and practices.
Integrity encompasses elements of authenticity, candidness, transparency, principledness, and consistency. This is considered a foundational value that is critical to uphold organizational values and behave ethically in the workplace.1 Integrity may be particularly important for leaders, as previous research has found that leader integrity is related to follower satisfaction and trust, ultimately leading to improved follower job performance.2
What Does it Mean to Lead with Integrity?
One of the keys to a positive and productive work environment is having leaders who act with integrity. Integrity in leaders refers to being honest, trustworthy, and reliable. Leaders with integrity act in accordance with their words (i.e. they practice what they preach) and own up to their mistakes, as opposed to hiding them, blaming their team, or making excuses. A leader shows integrity by following company policies, appropriately using company time and resources, and respecting one’s colleagues and direct reports. It is important to remember that a leader’s behavior reflects on not only their own reputation, but also on the reputation of the organization.
Benefits of Integrity in Leadership
Integrity provides several benefits to both leaders and the organizations. For instance, research has linked greater integrity with increased workplace performance3. Additionally, leaders with integrity foster greater trust and satisfaction from their direct reports, who are more likely to follow suit4. Employees serving under high integrity leaders demonstrate more positive workplace behaviors (e.g., helping others during busy periods) and fewer negative workplace behaviors (e.g., falsely calling in sick)5. Moreover, employees who trust their leaders to have integrity are likely to work harder, perform better, and have greater company loyalty 6.
How to Assess Your Level of Leadership Integrity
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 I make?
- Do I accept responsibility for my mistakes?
- Am I honest with myself about how my actions affect others?
- Do I hold myself and those I work with to a high ethical standard?
- Am I setting a good example for my direct reports?
- Do I care about doing the right thing?
- Do I always follow through on my commitments and promises?
- Do I act in ways that build trust with my direct reports?
- Have I behaved in a way that is consistent with my company’s core values?
How to Improve Your Leadership Integrity
Cultivate a Good Reputation
A leader’s reputation is based on more than performance. A good reputation also stems from being perceived as honest, responsible, reliable, and respectful by one’s co-workers and direct reports. Remember that while it takes time and effort to build a good reputation, that reputation is easily damaged by negative behavior. Because a leader’s behavior also influences the company’s reputation, it is especially important to always act responsibly, respectfully, and ethically.
Be Consistent
Consistency is key. It is difficult to have faith in a leader who says one thing but does another: a leader’s words and actions should match. Similarly, leader behavior should be in line with company values and policies; otherwise, it sends the message to direct reports that these not important. On the other hand, leaders who consistently act with integrity can inspire direct reports to follow their example4.
Hold Yourself to a High Moral Standard
It can be easy to think about your ethical standards only in extreme situations, but most cases where you will have to exercise your integrity at work are much more mundane. You may not find yourself in a major ethical dilemma, but you may need to choose between what is easy and what is right. Leaders with integrity do what is morally and ethically right and avoid questionable practices. For example, when making decisions, they consider potential consequences on the organization and other people. Acting with integrity also includes working diligently rather than cutting corners, accepting responsibility for decisions, and being honest and open with co-workers and direct reports. In these situations, leading by example and choosing to make the harder — but right — decision will have positive long-term implications for you and your organization.7
Admit When You are Wrong
One way to develop integrity is to commit to consistently tell the truth, even when it is uncomfortable.8 This includes admitting to past mistakes and changing your own opinion on topics when new, conflicting information is learned. Accepting responsibility for previous actions allows others to trust that you are accountable for your own behavior and take ownership of your decisions.9
Be Transparent with Your Colleagues
Another important element of integrity is engaging in open and honest communication with others at work.1 It can feel vulnerable to express transparency in terms of your values, intentions, and decision-making processes, but keeping everyone on the same page will help others to make clear decisions and understand exactly where you are coming from. This can also be helpful as it can allow others to understand when you are struggling and know when to step in with their support and perspective.
How to Lead with Integrity
The following steps can help you act with more integrity in the workplace and become a great leader:
1. Disagree Without Becoming Disagreeable
Integrity is extremely important, but it is not the only ingredient to success at work. Letting go of rigidity and welcoming mistakes can lead to innovation and creative decision-making in the workplace.1 To successfully balance both integrity and collaboration, make a point of brainstorming ideas individually before coming together as a group and reinforce that all group members will be heard equally. This will help novel ideas to be shared without any one person needing to assume the role of “devil’s advocate.”
2. Set a Good Example
As a leader, it is your responsibility to be a good role model for your direct reports. Engaging in negative workplace behaviours (e.g., disregarding company policies; gossiping about colleagues; using company time for personal matters) signals to direct reports that this behavior is acceptable. This may lead to other consequences. Employees who lack integrity are more likely to engage in unethical or counterproductive behaviors3, which hurts both the work environment and the company. However, leaders who act responsibly, make ethical decisions, and uphold company values help set and maintain expectations for employee conduct10.
3. Take Responsibility for Your Actions
Everyone makes mistakes, and things don’t always go according to plan. Rather than conceal mistakes or pin the blame on others, take responsibility. Fix mistakes if possible, and if not, learn how to prevent them in the future. This will generate trust with your direct reports, and also encourages direct reports to be more open about their own mistakes.
4. Consider the Context of the Situation
Part of activating integrity involves making uncomfortable decisions. However, it is important to also consider the broader organizational context before making any decisions that may negatively impact others. For example, what are the organizational values and norms? Would pursuing formal action, such as filing a complaint with your organization’s HR department, align with these values and norms? In many instances, pursuing formal action is necessary. Be sure to use your best judgment to assess the situation before moving forward with any major decisions.
5. Honour Your Commitments
It is challenging to earn trust and respect from direct reports if you are unreliable. They want to know that if you make a promise, you’ll keep it. This includes meeting deadlines, holding yourself to your word, and fulfilling commitments to coworkers and direct reports. Similarly, recognize your limitations and don’t over-commit. It is far better to say no than it is to fail to follow through on a promise.
Resources
WATCH: Live Life with Integrity
READ: The Importance of Integrity in the Workplace
DEVELOP: Develop your integrity by taking advantage of SIGMA’s coaching services.
Interested in a hard copy of Great Leaders Have Integrity? Download your PDF copy of our Leadership Series Handout.
1 Crossan, M., Seijts, G., & Gandz J. (2015). Integrity. In M. Crossan, G. Seijts & J. Gandz, Developing Leadership Character (pp. 15-24).
2 Palanski, M. E., & Yammarino, F. J. (2011). Impact of behavioral integrity on follower job performance: A three-study examination. Leadership Quarterly, 22(4), 765-786.
3 Johnson, M. K., Rowatt, W. C., & Petrini, L. (2011). A new trait on the market: Honesty- Humility as a unique predictor of job performance ratings. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 857-862.
4 Palanski, M. E., & Yammarino, F. J. (2011). Impact of behavioral integrity on follower job performance: A three-study examination. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 765-786.
5 Dineen, B. R., Lewicki, R. J., Tomlinson, E. C. (2006). Supervisory guidance and behavioral integrity: Relationships with employee citizenship and deviant behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 622-635.
6 Dirks, K. T., Ferrin, D. L. (2002). Trust in leadership: Meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 611-628.
7 Chestnut, R. (2020). How to build a company that (actually) values integrity. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2020/07/how-to-build-a-company-that-actually-values-integrity
8 Oliver, V. (2021). 13 ways to demonstrate integrity in the workplace. Lifehack. Retrieved from https://www.lifehack.org/articles/work/how-succeed-with-integrity-competitive-workplace.html
9 Indeed Editorial Team. (2020). How to maintain professional integrity in the workplace. Indeed. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/maintaining-professional-integrity
10 Grojean, M. W., Resick, C. J., Dickson, M. W., & Smith, D. B. (2004). Leaders, values, and organizational climate: Examining leadership strategies for establishing an organizational climate regarding ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 55, 223-241.