The Heart of the Matter: Why Leadership Needs Integrity to Thrive
Moving Beyond Skills and Techniques to Inspire and Engage
A pivotal observation surfaced amid a candid discussion on the efficacy of local agencies within the region in my line of work: the pressing need for a fresh wave of capable leaders to navigate the future's challenges.
As voices echoed sentiments for new and improved leadership, I found resonance in Mark Miller's book Uncommon Greatness, a profound exploration of leadership's significance.
The data presented in this book converged with what I observed and felt during my daily interactions with leaders, which was eye-opening.
In a study covering 19 countries, Marcus Buckingham and his colleagues at ADP found that only 15 percent of workers are fully engaged at work. This means 85 percent of the workforce is just showing up.
According to McKinsey, 80 percent of executives believe their business model is at risk to new innovations.
According to Gallup, 82 percent of managers aren't very good at leading people.
Forty percent of current frontline leaders do not feel equipped to lead well.
Forty-five percent of leaders also lack the confidence to help their employees develop the skills they need.
Globally, the cost of poor management approaches $7 trillion—or 9 to 10 percent of the world's GDP.S
Fifty percent of leaders do not believe they have enough emerging leaders to meet future demands of their organization.
Thirty-three percent of organizations do not have sufficient leaders for today.1
There's a glaring challenge in leadership despite the abundant resources poured into books, training, and conferences.
Dr. Walter Wright defines leadership as a relationship where one person aims to influence another's thoughts, behaviors, beliefs, or values. However, we're faltering in this relationship, and it's crucial to address why.
In Uncommon Greatness, Mark Miller hints at the end of the book at the need to embody a leader's heart.
While at a leadership conference break in Switzerland, I asked a multinational LDHR leader about the most significant failure she had witnessed in leaders throughout her 30-year career. Without flinching, she replied—it was a heart issue.
Yes, it is not a heart attack, although that has been a part of some leaders' stresses, but it is an integrity issue. Usually, it is the line of sexual, financial, or power abuse.
So, we don't lack the ambition or skills of people in leadership positions. We need leaders with whom we can trust their integrity. We lack leaders with whom we can let them shape our thoughts, behaviors, beliefs, and values, and, as a result, we become better.
I've noticed three common dangers leaders face at the beginning of their leadership journey:
Succumbing to the pressure for quick fixes is especially common among new leaders who feel compelled to address every demand without genuinely understanding the reality. This attitude is also typical of an anxious society.
Listening to the wrong voices is often driven by the loudest but least constructive individuals or those who exploit victimization.
Starting to isolate oneself isn't always arrogance but can stem from the natural tendency to shield oneself from hurt, betrayal, and exhaustion.
Now, our instinct would lead us to provide specific programs or skills that we need to develop to improve these pitfalls. I suggest stopping, pondering, and thinking about how we approach this in our hearts.
King Solomon's wisdom advises guarding our hearts, as everything flows from there.2 It's about discerning whose influence we allow based on their integrity.
It's crucial to pause and reflect on our approach more deeply. To stay true to this, I would like you to think for yourself before offering my thoughts on this.
Reflecting on these questions can be insightful:
Do you have relationships where you feel safe being influenced by the other person's thoughts, behaviors, beliefs, or values?
Are you someone others feel safe being influenced by?
How do you nurture your heart and maintain integrity amidst challenges?
Next month's post will explore cultivating leadership qualities from the heart, inspiring leaders to lead authentically and purposefully.
Uncommon Greatness: Five Fundamentals to Transform Your Leadership Kindle Edition by Mark Miller
Proverbs 4:23
Thank you Gusti for this. It made me think on the idea of "Character over Charisma."
While charisma can be captivating and draw people in, it is ultimately the depth of one's character that sustains trust and respect over the long term. Those are the kinds of leaders I like to be influenced by and I strive to be that for others.