Integrity in leadership is more than adhering to an ethical code. It is about mastering energy flow, speaking with candor, feeling emotions completely, and being impeccable with your agreements.
The Conscious Leadership Group defines integrity as wholeness:
“When we say that integrity is wholeness, what do we mean? A combination of three elements: energy management, congruence, and alignment.”
Energy management is about allowing the exchange of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. You know instantly when energy is restricted as the culture shifts to one of silence and participation in all areas is strained and minimal.
Congruence is about expressing all of what you feel rather than hiding it for the sake of not worrying others. The latter is a natural protective response, but it is a kind of dishonesty that permeates and damages the group’s integrity.
As a leader, your job is not to protect people but to act as a guide, illuminating the entire path, through thick and thin.
Alignment is about being transparent with purpose and vision and allowing for continual clarification as the group moves forward.
Being impeccable with your agreements means being clear about what is expected, when it’s expected, and having the courage to alter agreements in the open when necessary.
A leader with integrity models it even when they fail.