In the course of the past week, there have been
two high profile circumstances of leadership integrity being violated in
dramatic fashion. First came NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor Brian
Williams who was exposed for falsely embellishing his news reports. Next came
the resignation of Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber amid a growing corruption
scandal.
When hundreds of millions of American workers (just like those in your organization) arrive
home at the end of their workday and turn on the evening news, their
expectation is to not only catch up on the news of the day – It is also their
expectation to receive the factual truth about what is happening in the world
around them. For whatever reason yet unrevealed, Brian Williams decided to go
down the road of something other than the factual truth.
As a society, we have come to live in a time
when the integrity of leadership is constantly under the microscope and more
often than not in doubt. Most people simply lack confidence and resultant trust
in their civic leaders, business leaders, government leaders and even religious
leaders.
The corruption scandal driven resignation of
Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber comes on the heels of former Virginia Governor
and once hopeful Presidential candidate Robert F. McDonnell having been
sentenced to federal prison after being convicted along with his wife Maureen,
the former First Lady of Virginia, on corruption charges.
Even during the weeks leading up to the recent
Super Bowl, issues of integrity swirled in the midst of professional football’s
“inflate-gate”. The issue of
leadership integrity being comprised is no longer an isolated circumstance now
and then. Rather, it seems to be taking on epidemic proportions as stories of
failed leadership integrity continue to surface week in and week out.
In view of today’s unprecedented breaches of
leadership integrity on a global scale, it isn’t any wonder that people
everywhere have become particularly suspect of their leadership in the
workplace. Just like their evening news, when people show up at their
employer’s place of business each day, they too “expect to receive the factual truth about what is happening in the
workplace around them.”
Like the hub of a wheel, integrity is what
connects so many other vital aspects of leadership. And when integrity is lost,
it causes an adverse cascade much like that of a domino effect. Without
integrity, there is no respect. Without respect, there is no trust. Without
trust, there is no credibility. Without credibility, there is no cooperation. I
need not elaborate further.
A major leadership lesson that authentic
leaders have emphatically learned at the hands of the former leaders who
compromised and then subsequently lost their integrity is that… the “truth” matters. Ethics matter. The
reason they matter is because whether your success manifests as tangible or
intangible, success will always be substantive. Success in what every form it
comes, is something of value, something to behold. Therefore, it must not only
be “earned”, it must be earned fair
and square.
Simply stated, you can’t short cut, cheat or
steal your way to success. That is precisely why there are patent and copyright
laws. They protect the integrity of people, their work and their future accomplishments.
As President Dwight D. Eisenhower put it… “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”.
In the absence of the highest
degree of integrity, your organization will be absent of the prerequisite
leadership that is necessary to fulfill its potential and that of its human
resources.
As your premier training resource
partner, we can readily assist in the development of your leadership, your
people and their ability to … Learn more… Do more… Become more.
Copyright © 2015 Developing Forward
| Thomas H. Swank, CBC
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