To all our highly valued clients and acquaintances:
Consider this quote from George Washington:
“I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”
What if I told you that in a survey of over 54,000 people asked to identify the essential qualities of a leader, integrity was by far, the #1 response? According to Stephen R. Covey’s The 8th Habit, 90 percent of all leadership failures are character failures.
Integrity means congruence. Stephen’s oldest son describes it like this: “While integrity means honesty, it’s much more. It’s walking your talk. It’s being congruent, inside and out. It’s having the courage to act in accordance with your values and beliefs.”
Where leaders lack character, trust cannot grow, and trust is the key ingredient to all relationships be they business or personal. So, if you want to be effective and have influence as a leader in your organization and in your life, practice integrity.
- Keep your word.
- Only make promises you can keep.
- Don’t do anything in private that you wouldn’t want made public.
- If you make a mistake, come clean.
We are all human beings and sometimes life gets in the way of who we want to be. Begin with yourself and notice the domino affect it has on those around you. It isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being the best you can be.
“Integrity is the basis of trust…and without it, the leader can’t function”
Warren Bennis – regarded as a pioneer of the contemporary field of Leadership Studies.
For another brief article on this topic:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/99-all-leadership-failures-result-brent-kelly/
Who is intentionally, consciously, and effectively working on this for the long haul?
Thomas Lickona, Ph.D., is a psychologist and educator who has been called “the father of modern character education.” In the language of Professor Lickona, the goal of character education is “to know the good, desire the good, and do the good.” We want students to understand how to manage their emotions. We need to provide situations where students can participate in service to others. The value of his work has been recognized by such organizations as Character Education Partnership (Character.org)
https://www.character.org/what-we-stand-for
Another body of work that was created as one of Stephen R. Covey’s most important final projects in his lifetime is based upon Using Best Practices and Universal Principles.
Leader in Me® is a whole-school transformation model and process developed in partnership with educators that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st century. It is based on principles and practices of personal, interpersonal, and organizational effectiveness, and upon the powerful premise that every child possesses unique strengths and has the ability to be a leader.
Leader in Me started with one school in North Carolina and has since grown to thousands of schools in over eighty countries throughout the world.
Leader in Me seeks to:
- Develop student voice.
- Create a culture of trust and engagement.
- Provide students tools to better achieve goals.
- Empower students to lead their own lives and make a difference with others.
“Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition – such as lifting weights – we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.” – Stephen R. Covey
Another take which I have realized to be critically important.
“Integrity: Without It Nothing Works”
“An individual is whole and complete when their word is whole and complete, and their word is whole and complete when they honor their word,” Professor Michael C. Jensen, Harvard Business School
For another article that goes into more elaborated perspective and detail:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/without-integrity-nothing_b_5472373
As we start the 2021 4th Quarter, maybe we can all consider these ideas for our growth?
Your 90 Day Goal Sheet (attached)
What are 3 business and 3 personal goals you would most like to accomplish in the next 90 days? What are the 2 action steps per goal, you could take to move in that direction?
As you are writing your goals, you may want to ask yourself questions such as:
What do I want to have more or less of in my professional life?
What do I want in my life that I do not have right now?
May you finish your 2021 strong with greatest joy, energy, and momentum
We are gratefully yours and at your service –
Best – Don
