Deteriorating Integrity

Dan Miller —  July 9, 2012 — 5 Comments

“The rules I used to follow are for people who are where I used to be.”  In this week’s Leadership Podcast, Andy Stanley stated this as one of the signs of weakening integrity of any leader.

Yes, integrity implies honesty, but more than that.  It also indicates consistency of actions, values, methods and principles.  Thus if a leader is courteous on his/her way up, we would expect them to continue to be courteous.  In The Millionaire Mind, author Thomas Stanley (no relation to Andy that I know of) says the one common characteristic of decamillionaires is integrity.

And yet as people become highly successful we often see cracks begin to show in what we consider integrity to be.  And interestingly, I think they are the same things we see in those are the bottom of the ladder.

Here are some signs I’ve seen recently:

  1. Entitlement Mentality – thinking that people owe you.  Because of your position others should be willing to give you their time and resources.
  2. Distrust – being suspicious of the motives of those around you. The sense that others are out to get you.
  3. Compromised Honesty – believing that little lies won’t really matter anyway.  Distorting the truth as a shortcut to objectives.
  4. Short Fuse – I don’t have to be kind, patient or understanding.  Waitresses, hotel maids, valets, subcontractors and lawn care people need to serve me with little recognition or gratitude.

Now think about this for a minute.  Don’t we see these characteristics in those who have nothing, and those who have everything?  The guy who is homeless and angry about it – and the CEO who is desperately trying to protect his dynasty? Is it any more excusable at one end than the other?

Don’t lose your integrity as you become more successful.  Thoughtfulness, consideration and compassion will continue to add to your positive influence in the world.  One of the litmus tests I use often is to watch a person interact with the waitress at our table.  Does he ignore the person taking care of our simple needs there?  Does he speak curtly or with disrespect?  If so, I know that is not a person I would trust in business.

No one admires a rich jackass.

In Personal Development, Wisdom meets Passion , , , , , ,
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  • MrTravisScott

    This is so true! I just read that sometimes our success is what leads to our failures – we stop doing what made us successful because of our success. I have seen this so many times in many different industries.

  • http://talesofwork.com/ kimanzi constable

    People hate liar’s and with the power of modern search it’s only a matter of time before someone finds the true. Also when you lie about success it just won’t be as sweet when you get there.

  • http://www.liveyourwhy.net/ Terry Hadaway

    The person with the out-of-control ego should never be the one with the microphone or ultimate power. That’s a recipe for disaster in every arena of life. Ego makes people believe it’s all about them. 

  • http://www.fieldofdebt.com/ Jen McDonough

    Great post Dan! This post is so true!!

    I use to be a part of a cardiology practice as a executive admins assistant. One of the roles I got to do was taking charge of our physician recruitment efforts in that I was the primary contact and one that arranged their visits. I would then shadow the recruits throughout the days making sure they got what they needed and that there were no gaps in the schedule (it is a art to do with crazy doc schedules as they frequently ran over and/or were delayed on getting there on time as patient care came first).

    I was the first and only non physician asked to be on the recruitment committee. At first I was a bit leery of being asked to be “on the committee” as I assumed they just wanted someone to take minutes for the group which was fine. Alas though it wasn’t so. My docs really did want me on the committee as they found great value in what I brought to our recruitment efforts.

    Because of my high I (from DISC) profile I loved putting each of our physician recruits at ease and made sure they had a outstanding experience each and every encounter. Because of this, the recruits usually confided in me their impressions in a canid way that could not be found in the formal interviews. In addition, I also got to view them in their ‘real’ state (I.e. how they really treated people when they were not in the spotlight). All the while the recruits had no idea I was on the committee.

    The info that was gleaned was such a crucial piece to finding the right fits for our team. It was so interestering to see how people either stayed true to who they were or had another side that was totally unsuspecting. Most of my docs would always ask me my impression before each interview as they knew they would get a candid response.

    Good lesson to those trying to shine bright – be bright not just in the limelight, rather be bright for all.

    Thanks Dan.
    Jen

  • PaulVandermill

    What goes around comes around. Working in the healthcare arena, seen it scores of times. Everyone, all types of people from every strata of society needs care at one time or another, the health care arena is populated by workers of all shapes, sizes backgrounds and ability levels. I once washed dishes for my organization, many years, quite a bit of education and experience later, returned to take a senior leadership position.

    When I walk into a room of my company’s leaders, there are those who have always given nothing but encouragement when I struggled most and grace during my lowest moments. For those, one gives loyalty and a willingness to go through the wall. The antithesis, those who are condescending, harsh, grasping and self serving, you don’t cross the street.

    Integrity is your calling card. People know whether you have it or you don’t. No one is fooling anyone. Guard your integrity well.