Integrity triumphs intelligence when it comes to leadership

The quickest, smartest, best leader, if they don’t have integrity all the intelligence they possess is wasted.

Integrity exists when our presentation is consistent with our actions.

As we have learned in history and in current events, high intelligence is no guarantee of good judgment, and good judgment is closer to wisdom than high intelligence is.

When we lead with integrity; leadership is where reality meets with the core of who we are — and frankly that takes courage.

Character-based leadership is about a person — more specifically a person doing what’s best for the organization and the people who make up the organization. Leadership demonstrates the right things, because of who they are.

Going through the motions won’t work over the long haul.

Faking behavior to get an outcome from your team isn’t character-based at all. When the chips are down, the real person will show up. We want to join real people acting from the best of who they are.

Character-based leadership rests on a pillar of Integrity.

Integrity requires you to be who people think you are. The best character-based leaders are those we join because of who we think they are and where we think they’re going.

When you consider what it means to “be who people think you are” there are only 2 variables that affect the outcome: who you are, and what others think.

Integrity addresses the source — who you are. It is the only factor of the two you can control.

When we’re honest with ourselves, our “who we are” can be a pretty good person or that person can also be a selfish jerk. Deep down inside there are things we do that even we don’t like. But we can choose to be our best. We can choose to be the kind of person who rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, acts courageously, putting others ahead of (or along side of) themselves.

When you lead with trust you connect your heart to another.

And where people feel caring and connection, where fear is minimized, trust can grow freely and this is lead by having integrity.

Integrity is a requirement for accomplishing anything of value. When you become a leader of integrity, you leadership is clearly defined and meaningful.

Integrity is the sum of who you are. Nurture it — and lead with it.

Integrity is not a process or a practice, but a principle that leaders treasure when they know what matters.

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