How to manage with integrity and why this is most important

There are too many examples of the lack of integrity today in management. If you wish to be a manager who gets great results with people, focusing on your integrity is a good place to start. What is integrity? Many people discuss integrity but may not understand it completely. Let’s start with some definitions. To be a person of integrity means to be self-aware. Having integrity means being open and honest all the time. A person of integrity is a person who can be trusted. Those who live with integrity are straightforward, to the point, and clear about who they are and what they believe in. If you live with integrity, you are coherent in your actions and all your communications. What are examples of management integrity? Communications When you communicate with your staff, are you open and honest? Do you share the plans of the business and how things are going? Do you share your conce s, your desired state of the business and what needs to get done? Developing people Do you have a good sense of your own values and how you carry them out each and every day? It is hard to coach others if you have not done this for yourself. Are you focused on what is always wrong with people rather then what is working well? Do you have empathy for people? Do you try and align people with work which matches their abilities and interests and which brings them joy? Did it ever occur to you that when people are happy at work, the business is more productive! Fai ess and ethics If you manage with integrity, your decisions are never compromised by personal agendas, exte al political influences or related behavior. You are clear with yourself and others about your personal beliefs and you can be a good role model of fai ess and ethics. Decision Making If you manage with integrity, your decisions are timely and consistent. People know they can count on you to make both timely and well informed decisions. People know that the decisions you make will be explained and clear. People know that you are willing to listen to other views and change your decision when necessary. Continuous improvement Managers with integrity will always focus on the improving the system and the people who work within the system. Managers with integrity focus more on what is working well and strive to make things even better. In their offices there is always energy in the environment. People feel free to voice their views and conce s. There is no fear of punishment, no conce s about risking a new or different point of view. Why integrity matters for managers When people come to work they bring their personal lives with them. This includes the usual issues and conce s which get in the way of doing productive work. When people can count on their managers to be consistent, ethical, and fair, they can focus on being productive at work and not on the fear of losing their roles due to political or personality differences. When a healthy work culture is in place it is because the leaders place a high priority on people getting along, open communications and an environment which is fair. Integrity is not just a word It has to be internalized, role modeled day in and day out. The best managers do this, practice this and teach this to others. I’ll be cheering you on as you go! Craig Nathanson