Essential Leadership Quality: Integrity

Whether someone you look up to simply did their job, fulfilled their promises day-in and day-out to their employer and family, or they were a civic leader who made a promise to the masses and actually did what they said they were going to do, you have no-doubt been witness to what it means to have integrity.

The straight-talk definition of Integrity is:

"Doing what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it."

In other words, keeping your promises, and as a leader, being in integrity with your word is absolutely crucial to your ability to successfully lead and mentor your team.

No matter who you are or where you are from: world leader, boss, employee, child, Mom, or Dad, integrity matters; what you say matters, and who you are being when you are doing what you are doing matters!

After all, given the fact that we lead and teach those around us by example, what are we teaching when we aren't our word? What are we teaching if we occur as if integrity doesn't matter?

What We See in the Mirror

Quite frequently, the person we are out of integrity with most is ourselves, and when we are out of integrity - even in a way that others can't see - we know it; we beat ourselves up, it grinds us down, we get to a place where we are afraid of being found out, and we play smaller!

Integrity really gets to the heart of the very personal unspoken stuff that we think about when we look at ourselves in the mirror. So, what would it be like to be in integrity everywhere? To actually do what you say you are going to do every single time?

The truth is that as humans, some days we are going to be in integrity with our agreements and some days we're not. When your integrity is out-of-place, you will beat yourself up longer, harder, and meaner than anyone else possibly could, but don't waste time making yourself wrong. The world will do that for you for free! Instead, when you find that you are out of integrity in a part of your life, put it back. Say you are sorry! Forgive yourself! Clean it up! Get back into integrity!

No matter how great you are, there is going to come a time when you have to clean up your integrity. Part of living a life of integrity is developing the ability to be humble and take responsibility for your mistakes. We all make them. And know this: Being out of integrity doesn't mean you are a bad person. If you are out in the world shaking things up, you are going to be out of integrity at some point. Everyone makes mistakes, and if you are out in the world, being visible enough for people to notice, you are a leader and your integrity matters!

A well-known executive business coach, Clay Nelson is no ordinary, fly-by night, new-to-the-game coach! Clay Nelson has been coaching executives for over 30 years. Coaching from the core fact that growing people is the key to growing any business, Clay has helped countless business executives and their teams come together to not just improve their businesses, but to improve their lives. Clay's personal life experience, years of coaching, and his natural abilities to motivate, teach, and develop leaders is what makes him stand apart as a leader in the field... committed to making a difference wherever a difference needs to be made.

Clay Nelson is also a well-regarded motivational and educational speaker, providing outstanding programs customized to the audiences he is speaking with. Able to speak on any number of topics within his noted specialties, Clay Nelson is known for moving audiences from the status quo to action as they create the businesses and lives they say they want to have.

For more information go to: http://www.claynelsonlifebalance.com/


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