Author: Mark S. Brown

How much integrity do you have? A friend of mine told me that he had to drive his wife back to the grocery store, after buying groceries, because they forgot to charge her for an item that was in their groceries. That is integrity. The week before he had to drive her back to the store, because they had charged her twice for a single item.

True integrity works both ways. Not just when it may be for your advantage. Now he has his wife check the receipt before they drive away from the store.

John Maxwell has said, “Image is what people think we are; integrity is what we really are.” Integrity is just who we are. It is not something you can turn on and off. Either you have it or you don’t.

The integrity of an organization can never be higher than the integrity of the leader. In fact, the integrity of an organization is normally a reflection of the leader’s personal integrity. Because if a leader lacks integrity, people with high integrity would not be working for them very long. The opposite is true also. If the leader has high integrity, then he probably would not accept a team that lacked integrity.

How would you compare your level of integrity with those around you? How is the integrity of your organization? If there is any lesson we should learn, it is “Success will come and go, but integrity is forever.” No job is ever worth your integrity.

If you are not careful, your integrity can erode. If you are exposed to an environment that lacks integrity for a long period of time, you will be affected. Integrity must be preserved.

Being aware of when you are tempted to cut corners is important. People that lack a high level of integrity do not recognize when they are cutting corners. They are convinced it is okay, because that is how something has been done by others, or in the past.

As Shannon Alder said, “The important thing isn’t what other people think you are; it’s who you are.”

Only you can guard your integrity. Always doing the right thing takes awareness, energy, and an internal moral compass. Are you equipped to protect yourself?

For years, I have tracked my personal and professional goals. But I never seemed to have the time to achieve all that I wanted to achieve. Distractions and obstacles interrupt our perfect schedule… every day!

A few months ago I implemented a new process that has helped me remain intentional every day. Then at the beginning of 2015, I have been able to integrate this process into my yearly plan.

If you want to be more intentional every day, then you may want to consider these processes:

1. Define a monthly plan. This is an annual or semi-annual process. Hopefully you have already defined your 2015 goals. In this step, make those goals more concrete by defining what needs to be accomplished each month of the year. Include your targets, your projects, your development plans, etc. In some cases, this may mean dividing an annual goal by 12. But in many cases, you need to be more tactical. You are probably not going to start all your projects on January 1st and work on them through December 31st. Develop the plan you want to follow and achieve.

2. Define your weekly intentions. This is a monthly process. At the end of each month, review your plan for the next month. Reflect on how you will accomplish your goals for the coming month. Then write your intentions for each week of the next month. What must you accomplish week by week to be successful? Put it in writing. There is no specific format. This could be your journal, or your planner.

3. Define your daily intentions. This is a daily process. What are the most important things for you today? What are your intentions today? Put it in writing. In your daily planner, write your intention for the day. How will it be successful? What needs to happen first while your energy is high? When do you need to block off distractions to accomplish a major task? Build your plan for success each day.

4. Review your day. This is a daily process. How did you do? Did you accomplish your goals? What distracted you? What needs to be adjusted tomorrow? Did you follow through on your intentions? Give yourself a grade. Use a 100 percent scale, a ten point scale, a letter grade, or any other system. Grade how well you did.

This process is not new. It requires discipline, but It is not difficult. It is effective because it aligns your goals with your actions. It requires you to put in writing your intentions every day, and then to evaluate yourself.

To achieve a higher level of success, you need to be more intentional every day. Adjust these steps to fit your life, but include the discipline to be intentional daily.

How can you be more disciplined in this approach? Make sure your goals, your projects, and your actions are in line with your passion, your purpose, and your values. The farther you stray from what you want to do, the more you struggle with discipline.

I am looking forward to a great 2015. I hope you are also!

As a leader or a manager, you have the responsibility to give feedback to your team. If you do not prepare for these moments, then they will not be fully effective. You want your team to respond positively, and energized to take action. It requires preparation.

Here are three suggestions you should think about as you prepare to give feedback:

1. Know Their Perspective. If you were in their place, how would you like to receive the feedback? What would motivate them further? If you are giving feedback about a specific incident, think through the issue from their perspective. What values, motives, and circumstances have driven their behavior? Adjust your feedback appropriately.

2. Define Opportunities, Not Problems. Review your perspective. It is easier to identify problems than it is opportunities. But every problem is an opportunity in disguise. Uncover the opportunity that exists, then provide feedback that will allow them to see it also.

3. Standards, Expectations, Examples. Review the current matter based on the conditions of the work standards that exist, the clear expectations you set, and the examples you used for training. Make sure your review is based on facts, not on your intent. Based on this review, why did you not get the results you required? Often you will believe that a team member needs to improve, but in reality, it is your leadership that needs to improve. What could you have improved in the standards, expectations, and examples that would lead to better results?

If you want to be great at giving effective feedback, take a moment and prepare using these three ideas. Your employees will thank you!

No matter how good your team, they will never perform at a higher level than your own performance as a leader. None of us aspire to be a bad boss.

Do you remember what it feels like to work for a bad boss? It is a feeling I have experienced a few times.

When I was working for one of those bad bosses, I was never particularly motivated to do my best. I did enough work to get by, waiting for the boss to be replaced, or for a new job.

A bad boss never knows they are bad. Most of the time, they never recognize the negative environment that surrounds them.

If you don’t want to be that guy, that bad boss, here are 5 actions you should take with your team. Apply these consistently and your leadership will shine.

1. Review expectations regularly. Make sure people clearly understand their responsibilities. They should know how important their work is for the organization. Hold these discussions individually with your employees all the time.

2. Take time to listen. Make sure your team knows their opinions count. Build a relationship with each individual. Listen intently.

3. Provide the proper tools, materials, and equipment. Eliminate the potential for any excuse that could result in less than excellent performance. Let excellence be the standard.

4. Invest in their development. Create an environment where people can grow. Not only do people benefit as professionals, the team will thrive. A growth environment creates new ideas, positive energy, and productivity. It creates a will to win.

5. Invest in yourself. You cannot expect your team to improve if you are not improving yourself. You must set the example. Challenge yourself, and you will be able to challenge the team.

If you want to be a better boss, you need to be intentional about these 5 actions. If you dedicate the time to implement these actions, you will be surprised with the unlocked potential of your team.