We live in a world that overpromises and underdelivers. This cancerous downward trend is reinforced daily by advertisers, politicians, and vocalist auditions on the hit TV show American Idol. This constant separation between words and deeds produces the inevitable fruit of distrust and cynicism. Rather than expecting people to be truthful and honoring their word, we have been conditioned to shrug our shoulders and sigh, “Whatever.”
Living a life of integrity is not that difficult, at least conceptually. People trust others who live by their words, who practice what they preach. When I repeatedly do what I say I will do over a long period of time, my words and deeds align. They integrate. People then naturally trust me.
Jesus, the most fully integrated servant leader on record, put it this way: “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” (John 13:17)
Let’s be counter-cultural. Let’s measure twice and cut once. Let’s underpromise and overdeliver. Let’s show the world what it means to “Do what we say we will do,” because our accountability is not to a popularity poll, but to the Living God, the Audience of One.
Lesson to aspiring leaders: Do What You Say You Will Do.
Tagged as:
integrity,
truth
The number one trait people desire in those who lead them is honesty. Honesty means telling it like it is, embracing reality, and stripping off the Emperor’s new clothes. People already know most of our weaknesses. They live with our gaps everyday. People don’t expect us to be perfect. They do expect us to acknowledge the obvious. The question they are asking is: Will my leader own the gap between what what he or she says and does?
One hallmark of servant leaders is their ability to grow in public – to own the gap.
The apostle Paul, among the greatest of servant leaders, knew what it meant to grow in public. He frequently wrote of his own blunders. He told aspiring church pastors that yearning to oversee people is a noble task. After listing several fundamental criteria for leadership, including a well-balanced blend of character qualities and competencies, he closed with an invitation to grow.
“Practice these things,” Paul said, “devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress.”
Lesson for us: Learn to own the gap.
Quotes from 1 Timothy 3:1 & 4:15
Tagged as:
growth,
honesty,
integrity
“What values, personal traits, or characteristics do you look for and admire in your superiors?”
Authors James Kouzes and Barry Posner surveyed nearly 1,500 managers from around the United States with this question. More than 225 values, traits and characteristics were identified. These were then reduced to 15 categories. The category that scored the highest? INTEGRITY. This included ideas such as “is trustworthy,” “is truthful,” “has character,” and “has convictions.”
A subsequent two-year study asked 2,600 top-level managers to complete a checklist of superior leadership characteristics. The number one characteristic these business leaders looked for was HONESTY. Honesty ranked ahead of “competency,” “intelligence,” and “is inspiring.”
Message to aspiring leaders: Do What I Say I Will Do.
Tagged as:
conviction,
honesty,
integrity,
personal traits,
truth
We live in a world that overpromises and underdelivers. This cancerous downward trend is reinforced daily by advertisers, politicians, and vocalist auditions on the hit TV show American Idol. This constant separation between words and deeds produces the inevitable fruit of distrust and cynicism. Rather than expecting people to be truthful and honoring their word, we have been conditioned to shrug our shoulders and sigh, “Whatever.”
