This week we continue our exploration of the seven tenets of Owning Your Brilliance by taking a closer look at the second tenet: Demonstrate Unwavering Integrity. For many of us the concept of “Owning Your Brilliance” has scores of impediments. We are often discouraged by criticism from others or their failure to recognize or appreciate all that we have to offer and become proverbial shrinking violets. We sacrifice our best efforts and simply go through the motions in hope of fitting the norms and expectations set for us, to obtain the approval of spouses, bosses and the significant others in our lives. Unfortunately this denial of our own innate desire to share the best that we have to offer with others in an authentic committed way ultimately compromises our ability to lead with integrity. For the purposes of this conversation, we will define leadership as:
LEADERSHIP—the act or instance of
guiding people or resources to a higher level of productivity than would have
been possible on their own, for the greater purpose of the business or community
in which they reside.
Great leaders operate from a
unique yet extremely disciplined perspective—ANYTHING LESS THAN EXCELLENCE IS
UNACCEPTABLE AND WE ARE ALL CAPABLE OF EXCELLENCE. You cannot consistently achieve excellence
without integrity. Integrity must be
demonstrated in every aspect of your life and always shines brightest in the manner in which you treat People, Develop
Solutions, and Take Initiative.
New gurus of business disciplines
have emerged to redefine the tenets of leadership, for future generations. In the book, “Good to Great!” by Jim Collins
we are introduced to a new leadership paradigm called Level 5 Leadership. This new paradigm encourages us to seek out
those leaders who are able to consistently exhibit a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. An interesting choice of standards to be sure
however through his exhaustive research Collins is able to prove that leaders
who consistently demonstrate these leadership characteristics, actually manage
to move beyond being merely an effective leader to the pinnacle of greatness in
leadership hierarchy.
Too often our integrity is
relative to societal or cultural norms and expectations which frequently
changes when met with skepticism or opposition.
True integrity requires that you
demonstrate sound reasoning ability and unshakable character in the face of
adversity. Great leaders work
extremely hard to develop their expertise around the following principles:
Conducting yourself with
integrity is more than ‘walking your talk’ or delivering what you say that
you’ll deliver. It also requires that
you refuse to compromise your ethical values and professional standards, in
order to achieve a successful outcome.
It requires you to consistently operate from a set of core values that
govern your leadership thought and decision making process at all times.
Leadership Styles
One of the greatest leadership
models available in the marketplace today is Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership
II construct. As it helps us understand
the necessity of a leader developing the ability to assess their staff’s level
of competency, commitment and confidence toward a particular task and their
flexing your leadership styles to provide them the level of leadership they
need most in that particular work situation.
Leaders should be able to flex to a Directing, Coaching, Supporting or
Delegating mode as staff progresses in their level of proficiency. The following diagram provides you with an overview
of Situational Leadership’s its key concepts:
Walter Nistorenko will be our role model for this week’s OYB tenet:
Demonstrating Unwavering Integrity.
Walter is a visionary leader who remains true to his core values whether
serving others in his role as CFO, Pastor of Abundant Life Church, Professor at
a Christian College or as husband and father.
Following is an excerpt from an interview we recently conducted with
Walter to find out exactly how he maintains his integrity and the impact it has
on his life and those around him.
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Willie Mae Veasy
President & CEO
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Walter Nistorenko
Lead Pastor
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WMV: Hello Walter it is a pleasure to meet with you today to discuss the benefits of Demonstrating Unwavering Integrity and the impact it has on your life and in the lives of those you lead and serve. We so appreciate you finding room in your busy schedule to share your insights on the importance of Integrity.
Walter:
Thank you; it is my pleasure to be able to share my views with you on
integrity. I so enjoy talking about
these concepts especially as it relates to business because integrity is the
soul of good business.
WMV: Depending on who you talk to
integrity means something different to various people. Can you tell us what integrity in leadership means
to you?
Walter:
I consider integrity as something that is whole, complete and
uncompromising. It is a complex value
system that governs a person’s sense of purpose and activities in their
life. For a person to truly be a good
leader there must be no inconsistencies or incongruencies in their leadership
behavior, in public or at home.
WMV:
When I look at your bio I see that you have worked or served
organizations that often have differing standards and values. How are the value systems different in a Church
from a school or one of the corporations you work for?
Walter:
The values of organizations may differ but my personal values and
standards remain the same regardless of where I might serve or lead. Daniel is an excellent biblical example of a
man holding a leadership position in a government whose values were totally different
from his and yet he was extremely effective as a leader and he also managed to remain
true to his belief system, without compromising. John Maxwell is a great modern day example of
that same type of integrity in leadership.
I believe the bigger question tends to center around the importance of
understanding and respecting the culture of an organization.
WMV: Really? And why is that?
Walter: Because Organizational culture
is so critical and a good leader needs to spend time discovering the unique
aspects that influences each organization before they attempt to lead it. Every organization has its own way of
behaving, responding and thinking; they all have different norms and
behaviors. You have to understand the history of an
organization in order to ultimately influence it. Those unique aspects of the organization must
be honored and adhered to in asmuch as they are not in direct conflict with
your personal core values.
WMV: In addition to being a CFO,
professor and Pastor you are also a Husband and Father. What challenges does that role present for
you in the area of integrity?
Walter:
If you are living a life of integrity in a holistic sense, you take that
standard with you in every aspect of your life; personal and professional. It would be hypocritical of me not to express
and demonstrate those values, even more so at home than what I make available
to the rest of the world. Ultimately, my
greatest legacy to this world will be the family I leave behind and if my wife
and children can’t trust my word and depend on my actions to be in concert with
everything I say I am then they will see a lack of integrity. My children learn what love, truth and
honesty is from me by not just by what I say but by what I do and how I treat
them, their mother and others. It is a high standard.
WMV: How has dealing with these
differing leadership expectations stretched or challenged your integrity?
Walter:
A person in a leadership role needs to be clear about the intent of why they’re
interested in being a leader. It should never be for selfish ambition or to
control others but to serve and lead people to a higher level of excellence.
WMV: Have you ever been in a situation
as a leader in which you were expected to compromise or relax your standards?
If so, how did you deal with it and maintain your integrity?
Walter:
Yes, I had a situation as a CFO in which I discovered some mishandling
of funds. Keep in mind that the leader
is ultimately responsible for the health and welfare of the entire
organization. No matter how fond you are
off people or important a role they may play in an organization, procedures must
be followed to insure complete compliance with governing regulations and
adherence to fiduciary responsibilities.
To waver on this point is unacceptable.
As much as I disliked having to terminate the employee responsible, I
had no other choice. And while, I did it
with as much respect and compassion as possible, they had to be held
accountable for their actions. Many of
the problems we are facing today are the result of a lack of integrity in
leadership. We have all seen what happens
when you turn a blind eye to matters such as this, you end up with Enron,
Bernie Madoff and a whole host of other problems that no organization or
people group should be forced to suffer through for the sake of greed and
selfishness.
WMV: What guidance or advice can you
offer someone new in a leadership role that might be overwhelmed by the
political aspects of the job to such a degree that they are concerned that it is
beginning to compromise their integrity?
Walter:
You must begin with the mindset that you are going into that role to
fulfill a critical and important need to further the mission of the
organization. Being properly trained and equipped for the job is essential in
further securing your comfortability in the role. If you understand these
components of your role; you will be less anxious when political issues are
introduced to the mix. Spend time understanding
the key players in the organization and be emotionally intelligent enough to
understand the need to gain buy in; without compromising your integrity. You really need to be able to distinguish
between the people who are truly interested in the success of the overall
organization and those who are just interest in promoting themselves.
WMV:
Walter, as always it was a pleasure speaking with you and we greatly
appreciate you so candidly sharing your insights and experience. To learn more
about how Walter manages to maintain unwavering integrity across cultures,
faiths and business industries, visit him at www.alcseaville.org.
If you have found the information
and recommendations contained in this blog helpful and are interested in
learning more about “Owning Your Brilliance,” consider attending one of our
upcoming Professional Development workshop series by clicking on the following
link.
In the meantime, we encourage you
to make a conscience choice to Empower Yourself each and every day of your life
by working on building up each of the eight key components of empowerment
outlined in this blog.
Respectfully submitted for your
thoughtful consideration,
Willie Mae
Veasy
President and CEO
Covenant Business Concepts LLC
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