Steer clear of integrity ‘traps’
As leaders, we must operate at the highest level of integrity. If we donâÂÂt, we risk damaging not only our own reputations but those of our employees and organizations.
âÂÂEvery leader has the responsibility to hone his or her integrity,â writes emotional intelligence expert Travis Bradberry in a recent Inc.com post. His article explains several âÂÂintegrity trapsâ that can âÂÂcatch well-meaning leaders off guard.â Such traps include:
- Fostering a cult of personality. ItâÂÂs easy to get caught up in your own point of view as the organizationâÂÂs leader. We canâÂÂt forget that we are in a leadership position to serve others, not just to have things our way.
- Dodging accountability. âÂÂThe very best leaders take the blame but share the credit,â Bradberry writes.
- Lacking self-awareness. This comes down to emotional intelligence, Bradberry writes, and the importance of trying to see ourselves as others see us.
- Forgetting that communication is a two-way street. Leaders that only communicate in one direction, or those that donâÂÂt set goals or provide context for the tasks they ask others to do, are not very good communicators.
- Micromanaging. âÂÂAn important part of a leaderâÂÂs integrity rests in giving people the freedom to do their jobs,â Bradberry explains.
Bradberry mentions a couple other âÂÂtrapsâ here.
The items on this list, while damaging, are all fixable. We just need to be aware of these traps and learn how to avoid them. Any others âÂÂtrapsâ youâÂÂve noticed that can call into question a leaderâÂÂs integrity? Follow me on Twitter (@BDanBerger).