To have integrity

Integrity, rightly so, is held to be a virtue of great leaders. But what does the word mean? It originated from the Latin word, integra which means ‘whole or complete’.

So, what is different about those leaders with integrity? To better understand what something is, it often helps to first understand what it’s not. In a recent Coaches Rising podcast, Jim Dethmer, author of the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, shared what he called the four breaches of integrity, the ‘4 uns’:

1. Unowned – when we fail to own responsibility and choose to be in victimhood, blaming others.

2. Unfelt – when we don’t acknowledge our feelings, suppress our own and ignore other’s feelings.

3. Unsaid – when we conceal rather than reveal more of our truth.

4. Unkept – when we don’t keep agreements with ourselves and others.

CHALLENGE

To be a leader with integrity, ask yourself:

1. What am I not taking responsibility for that’s mine to take?

2. What feelings am I not acknowledging that are important to acknowledge?

3. What am I not saying that’s important to say?

4. What agreements am I not honouring that I will now honour?

Then share your insights with your team and observe what shifts.

May you flourish.