Category: Uncategorized

Last week I wrote about guarding your integrity. During a discussion one of my friends brought up another situation about integrity that I found very interesting. Many people in leadership positions receive perks from their position. It is normal in today’s business environment. But when it comes to integrity, we must know our values and our limits.

Do you sometimes feel frustrated or slighted when one of your expectations is not met? When we get that feeling, we must stop and let it go if it is not grounded in integrity. What do I mean?

Suppose your administrative assistant prepares a coffee for you every morning. If one morning it is not ready, do you feel frustrated or angry? Think about it. Have you come to expect a perk because of your position? Is coffee one of the defined requirements, or just an extra?

What if your staff or team frequents a restaurant for lunch. You are recognized by the restaurant staff as the boss or the person paying the bill. You get a little extra special treatment: the best table, the best seat, a free dessert, or something extra. You get this treatment week after week, until one day you don’t. Are you angry?

Do you expect something for your position? What do your values and integrity tell you? Are these two feelings in conflict?

I think this is a very interesting area for reflection for many. Are we trading our expectations for our integrity? Does it slowly erode if we expect special treatment?

What do you think? Is it always easy to stand for your values, or do you find yourself glad you have your perks.

 

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!