I read this post yesterday about the 7 Essential Behaviors of a Leader.  According to this post, the 7 Essentials are:

• Know your people and your business
• Insist on realism
• Set clear goals and priorities
• Follow through
• Reward the doers
• Expand people’s capabilities
• Know yourself

It got me thinking, what are my “essentials” for leadership?  Of course, several came to mind and I agree with many on this list.  The more I thought about it, I realized that I can narrow it down to one crucial ingredient, which, in my opinion, is more essential than the rest.  

Integrity.  

This can encompass your morals, your ethics, etc., but I define it very simply: do what you say you will do when you say you will do it.  In other words, be honest and be a person of your word.  

Without it, it doesn’t matter how well I know my business, how real my input is, what goals I set, how much I reward others or expand their abilities or how how much I know myself.  If I don’t do what I say I will do, nothing else matters.  I lose the respect of those I am trying to lead.  At that point, talent is useless.  Knowledge is useless.  You lose respect, you lose trust, and the ball game is over.  Pack it up and head home.  

I value integrity, strive to exemplify it and expect it from those that serve with me.  I’m not saying that I’ve cornered the market on leadership, this is just something that I value greatly and see abused, bungled, or flat-out ignored too often in church and in the corporate world.  In my line of work, which greatly involves working with volunteers that help, serve, work, give, etc. because they want to, not because they have to, integrity is essential . . . actually, it’s a requirement.  Those without it need not apply.  

Do you agree?  Disagree?  What do you value most as a leader and what do you expect from those that are leading you?  If you are a leader, are you doing what you say you will do or do you expect one thing from everyone else, and excuse yourself?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.