How to Raise the Bar of Integrity in Your Organization

• July 30, 2020

It seems that the more leadership events I attend, the more I hear the word ‘Integrity’ as a key focus for success. Sure we all know that integrity matters — or SHOULD matter! — for leaders to drive and thrive in this increasingly-stressful business climate. However, how do leaders actually make a noticeable improvement in the integrity demonstrated within their organization beyond just blah-blah-blahing about it?

During the recent C-Suite Network Digital Discussion hosted by C-Suite Network Chairman Jeffrey Hayzlett, we heard from two very powerful (and colorful!) thought leaders Beth Weissenberger and Robbie Bach, both of whom use their experiences on the front lines of business to help guide leadership teams through challenging times. The result was an honest conversation about what really stops us from making progress in cultivating a culture of integrity and what we can do to raise the bar, not only from within and but also throughout our organizations.

In addition to being inspired by Robbie’s compelling story about launching the Xbox brand at Microsoft and how to navigate the dynamics of a large enterprise organization (Hint: Get an Executive Sponsor!), Beth brought a wealth of insight on how we can positively affect the integrity of our organizations by making key changes in ourselves first.

Beth is a tough-as-nails executive coach from The Big Apple who tells it like it is and delivers the goods for her clients. She started the conversation by sharing that everyone is messed up right now. (No kidding!!) Fear, overwhelm, uncertainty, and stress are commonplace in every organization, and when that happens, the worst traits of all of us come out.

What can we do to combat these beasts?

• Keep dreaming. Most of us have stopped wildly dreaming about what we want and find ourselves simply executing on What Is. Create a big audacious dream for yourself and work backward from there.
• Master the basics. If we aren’t feeling well, we likely won’t DO as well. Some of the table stakes in this new climate are our personal health and wellness, including establishing better relationships with meditation, food, and yoga. (As a thought leader in Mindful Performance, this was music to my ears!)
• Design your day. Working from that Big Dream, figure out what are the major activities you are going to do to support every area of your life. Be intentional. Don’t let success be accidental. Schedule it.
• Name your Inner Saboteur. Sometimes we have well-meaning but annoying voices inside our heads that sabotage our best efforts to walk our highest walk. The Chicken is the avoider, the Brat is the defiant negator, and the Weather Reporter simply reports the latest happenings instead of consciously creating them. If you are struggling with showing up as authentically and powerfully as possible, ask yourself if the Chicken, the Brat, or the Weather Reporter are in charge. 
• Be accountable to your promises. Be crystal clear about what you are promising YOURSELF in support of your Big Dream, and create an unpleasant consequence if you break your promise (Beth suggested taking a $20 bill and throwing it out the window!!) If you break your promise twice and have experienced the consequences twice, chances are you don’t have the right consequence. Make it painful to break promises, and you’ll stop breaking them.

One of the biggest nuggets of awesome I got from the Digital Discussion was when Beth said, “Whatever you believe, you prove.” It made me really think about what I believe. Do I believe that I have plenty of resources at my disposal to be the best expression of myself? Do I believe that the path to great success can be a joyful, healthy one? Most importantly, do I believe that there is plenty for ALL of us?

What do YOU believe, and what are you proving?

If you would like to be a part of these informative and thought-provoking conversations, you are welcome to become an Executive Leader and get invitations to our next C-Suite Network Digital Discussion! The more we learn and grow, the stronger our leadership skills will become. And when we are strong leaders, we will naturally raise the bar of integrity everywhere we go, including our workplaces.

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