INTEGRITY

Dear Colleague,

Last month we had training on Integrity as the bed rock of banking. For today, I still want talk more on Integrity as it relate to leadership.

Integrity is particularly important because those with integrity earn the respect and trust of others and they are more effective as leader. According to Jack Welch, people with integrity tells the truth and they keep their words, takes responsibility for their past actions, admit mistakes and fix them, they know the laws of the country, industries and companies both in letter and in spirit and abide by them, they play to win the right way by the rules. There is a common thing among experts who has study or written about modern leadership, that all leaders must act with integrity at all times, the reason for this is that subordinates are constantly observing the leader.

What is then the Integrity? Webster dictionary tell us that is the quality of bringing sound moral principles, uprightness, honesty & sincerity. However, a definition I found very interesting is the one attributed to bobby Johns who says integrity is what you do when no one is watching and that you do in private is who you are.

Integrity also involves the three R’s

·         Respect for yourself
·         Respect for others and;
·         Responsibilities for all your actions.

Therefore, integrity is the mirror revealing the truth about an individual or corporation. Integrity involves working the talk and not just talking it. On a personal level, Integrity involves both the part of who you are and what you do.

Integrity is measure by what individual does and does not do when no one is looking:

·         Did they own to their value and ethics?

·         Do they compromise what they believe it’s right?

·         Why at corporate level, we may want to ask, do corporate reports, filling and stakeholder communications state one thing when in reality the corporation is doing something else?

These questions are pertinent to our understanding of integrity and how it can shape the organization we work for.

According to Jack Welch, without integrity we have no organization, you have nothing, integrity is the foundation upon which you build something. Therefore to succeed in our chosen career and move the organization forward, we must do away with the do as I say not as you do attitude. We must imbibe such values that are based on moral principle of honesty, uprightness & sincerity.

Distinguish colleague, let end this by reminding us that you can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and gravely “(Samuel Johnson).

Thank you and God bless.