Leaders, Are you acting with integrity?

I have long maintained that managing people is the second most difficult job on Planet Earth, the first being parenting. I often start my supervisory skills training classes with that.

The parallels between managing people and raising children are many. As are the lessons.

Just as we raise kids to be capable and to have a sense of responsibility for certain things, so also do we “raise workers” . . .

- to acquire the skills needed to do the job

- to be be aware of their responsibilities

- to be accountable for them, and 

- to take the appropriate actions necessary when they encounter issues....and when you are not around.

As parents we want our children to grow up to be good people. To be happy. To be productive and self-sustaining. To make the world a better place in some way.

Don't we want the same things for the people who work for us?

In a supervisory skills training for front line managers in the shipping industry, I asked them what they expect of their workers, most of whom are union employees.

They had a long list of answers including such items as "to get the job done," "to take care of the equipment," and "to work safely."

I asked the supervisors if such items were negotiable. They answered No. One said, "You can't compromise on things like that. If we don't stand firm on such expectations, it will hurt productivity, costs, and safety."

So we then delved into the key question: How do you, as Supervisors, lead, shape and guide your workers to meet and exceed the expectations?

My pastor Father Doug has a favorite saying: "Everything you do teaches." In the business world, we teach Supervisors that "you lead by your example" or LBYE for short.

This goes to the heart of Integrity which I like to define in three dimensions:

1) Doing the right thing: The leader with integrity encounters her people authentically. She doesn't hide behind her office door. Rather, she is visible, available, approachable. She listens and learns. She cares about her team and wants the best for them.

2) Doing what you said you were going to do: The leader with integrity follows through. She is true to her word. She can be counted on. If she makes a commitment, she will deliver on it. She has her team's back.

3) Making sure that your words and your actions are congruent with your values: The leader with integrity lives by a solid core of values. Values that guide her each day in all her decisions.

And integrity means honesty. She tells the truth, calling it as she sees it.She can be tough when the situation calls for it. But always with a caring intent. No matter what, there is always a pulse of heartfelt love motivating the Leader with Integrity, because it's all about that.

The "A" in LEADS therefore is for Acting: What you do and how you do it.

Effective supervisors act with integrity. Everything they do teaches. So they are mindful of their own conduct, self-aware of the signals their actions (and non-actions) may be sending to their teams.

If you are not getting the performance and results you want from your team, stop and take a look in the mirror. That's where the assessment must begin if you want to make meaningful improvement that sticks.

This article is the third in a series of practical tips for front line leaders.

Terrence Seamon has over thirty years of business experience in leadership development, management training, team building, and organizational change, in both internal as well as external consulting roles. Terry has a Master’s degree in Education from Rutgers Graduate School of Education, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Human Communication from Rutgers. His main interest areas these days are change and transition, job search coaching, stress and wellness, employee engagement, and leadership development. You can find him on twitter at tseamonand on facebook at Facilitation Solutions.

For more guidance on Leadership, read Terry's book Lead the Way