Law of Integrity by Brian Tracy
Part 1 The Laws of Leadership
after finishing this article from Brian Tracy check out more guest leadership articles Great business leadership is characterized by
honesty, truthfulness, and straight dealing
with every person, under all circumstances. Integrity lies at the core of leadership, at the heart of the leader.
Everything you do revolves around the person you really are
inside. And the person you really are inside is always demonstrated
by your actions, the things you do and say. Leadership has been defined as “the ability to get followers.”
For people to follow you, to subordinate their interests to yours,
they must be able to believe in you and be willing to commit their
time, money, and energy to you. Leadership is therefore a trust conferred upon you by others.
To earn this trust, to deserve this trust, you must be true to yourself.
You must live in truth with yourself. Only then can you live
in truth with everyone else in your life and work. Perhaps the most important thing you do as a leader is to be a
good role model. Lead by example. Walk the talk. Live the life.
Always carry yourself as though everyone is watching, even when
no one is watching. Good leaders are completely reliable. People can take them at
their word and trust that they will do what they say. They make
promises carefully, and then they always keep their word.
A key mark of integrity in human relations is consistency, both
internal and external. The best leaders are consistent from one day
to the next, from one situation to the next. Because of this internal consistency, these leaders are trusted. People know what to expect.
There are no surprises. Being consistent also means that you treat everyone the same.
You do not have one persona for an important client and another
for a subordinate. As Thomas Carlyle wrote, “You can tell a big
person by the way he treats little people.” There are two basic types of leadership in business today, transactional
and transformational. Transactional leadership is the ability
to direct people, manage resources, and get the job done. But
transformational leadership, the most important form of leadership
today, is the ability to motivate, inspire, and bring people to
higher levels of performance. Transformational leadership is the ability to touch people
emotionally, to empower them to be more and to contribute more
than they ever have before. This ability enables transformational
leaders to elicit extraordinary performance from ordinary people.
Leaders think about the future. They think long term. They
think about how they want to be viewed by others, now and later
in life. Because of this long time perspective, they never sacrifice
their integrity or their reputations for short-term gain or profit. There is a direct relationship between your feelings of self-confidence
and self-esteem on the one hand and your levels of
integrity and truthfulness on the other. The more you live your life
according to your values, the better and happier you feel about
yourself, no matter what happens around you. How you can apply this law immediately: 2. Ask yourself: What kind of a company would my company be
if everyone in it was just like me? What personal habits or
behaviors would you need to change to answer this question
in the affirmative? Whatever they are, do something today
toward becoming the very best person you can be.
Part 1 The Laws of Leadership
after finishing this article from Brian Tracy check out more guest leadership articles |