When Change Is Required Lean On Your Integrity
One of the toughest things a leader must do is rally their team, their staff and themselves to make changes. Why?
Change is hard
People fear change
People don’t always see why it is necessary
Conversations around change can be uncomfortable
I was reading a biography on Jimmy Carter by Jonathan Alter and he quoted a line from a speech President Carter gave in 1979. Carter was addressing the people about the direction of our nation. It included a variety of topics but a good chunk of that speech was about the economy and what we needed to do as a nation to improve our situation. Carter told the American people that “there is simply no way to avoid sacrifice.” First of all this statement had to take some courage to say, because Carter was in his first term as President and wanted to run again. He was delivering difficult news that would require a nation to change including our President.
The mark of a true leader in making change rests with their ability to do the difficult things and maintain their integrity in doing so. As a leader there will be a lot of times when you have to set aside your personal feelings, goals and vision to do what is best for the greater good of your school, organization or family. It’s easy to become compromised by money, pressure, judgement and popularity. At the time the decisions you may make based on these things might seem harmless but they can have far reaching implications. You might be saying to yourself that making the right decision even if it costs you these things can have a negative impact on you as well. Both of these things are true and it doesn’t make your decision or implementing change any easier.
One of the core principals in my leadership philosophy is always acting with integrity. Integrity has to be your guide. When we break down integrity what is it? Integrity is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as “the quality of being honest and having a firm, uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles.” Integrity doesn’t owe us anything, it doesn’t have friends, it isn’t popular and it provides no judgement. Integrity is what is honest, moral and ethical. Is this an easy line to walk? No way, it is hard. It relies on two more of my key leadership principles: hard work and commitment. There is no other way or another substitute for achieving integrity. Actually let me say I don’t think we achieve integrity. Integrity is something we live by and we can’t choose to use it one day and then choose not to the next. If we are living in that scenario then we really don’t have integrity.
This brings us back to that Jimmy Carter quote “There is simply no way to avoid sacrifice.” Integrity is sacrifice, it's a daily choice and without it we compromise our character and the trust of the people around us. If I don’t have the trust of the people that I’m leading, what do I have? You have nothing. People will respect your honesty. They may not like the changes you’re asking them to make but they know that you are coming from a genuine place if you are always acting with integrity. Who is more likely to get the changes they need out of their staff: a person they trust or one they don’t? I will let you answer that question. As you navigate today remember to light the WICK of leadership by Working hard, acting with Integrity, being Committed and treating others with Kindness. Don’t forget when your commitment is greater than your feelings you get results (C>F=R).
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