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Certified High-Performance coach, speaker, author, husband, adventurer, former commando-paratrooper, and tsunami survivor.
Leading With Integrity: The Key To Be a Great Leader
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Every CEO wants to improve their business, increase profitability, create a better culture, boost employee engagement, scale the impact, and be a great leader. The next reasonable question is… How?
The issue is that most CEOs are looking for the latest hack, trick, software, tool, or magic powder, while the answer to bringing their business to the next level is to work on themselves.
I am not saying that tools, software, etc. are useless, they are great, but they will never replace the necessity of becoming a high performer yourself. Your business is the reflection of who you are.
The way an individual runs their business is a reflection of their personal character and values. Success is not only based on external factors such as market conditions or competition, but also on internal factors such as the individual’s level of commitment, motivation, and integrity.
To be great leaders, CEOs must learn to master their minds, themselves, and their time. They must role model the way to get the best out of their team and consistently show up in the world as their best self.
This article addresses one of the key topics featured in the no-bullshit guide to creating success and fulfillment in life and business, where you’ll uncover the 3-part formula to design and live a more rewarding life. It may sound too good to be true, but it’s a system that actually works. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend that you do so now to gain a better understanding of what it takes to reach excellence. Additionally, you can read the 4 steps to reach excellence and learn a methodology you can apply to any subject to speed up your progress.
Leading With Integrity: The Key To Be a Great Leader
Your business is a reflection of who you are
The way you act as a leader affects your employees’ workflow and feelings, which will influence the customer’s experiences and, eventually, your business. Consciously or not, who you are is having ripple effects around you.
If you are messy and inauthentic, your business will be chaotic and inauthentic.
When you are unfocused, your team lacks clarity.
When you are fearful, your team begins to doubt.
When you are uncertain, there is miscommunication.
If you are not showing up as your best, nobody will go the extra mile. If you don’t care, nobody will…
To best way to know if someone is a great leader is not to interview him/her. It is to interview his/her employees. Some CEOs look outstanding from the outside and have a team performing well. But on the inside, people feel used, stressed out, and led by fear. I saw that in the military, and sooner own later, it always collapsed.
Whether you want it or not, your business reflects who you are. To be a great leader is to assume responsibility and ownership for your team’s failures and the business’s health. It is when you lead with integrity and keep showing up as their best because you know that:
If you show commitment, your employees will be engaged.
If you respect people, you will be respected.
If you are more organized and productive, your team will be more efficient.
Above all, to be a great leader, you must role model the way, and it starts with improving yourself.
Action step:
Do a reality check: first, observe your business; how would you define its performance? How much do you think your employees enjoy working there? How do you see yourself as a leader? Then ask for feedback from your subordinate (pro tip: make it anonymous, explain why you do it, and be prepared to accept criticism).
Why do you want to be a great leader? Don’t overlook that question; it is the foundation that will determine your commitment to do the work to get better. If you don’t know clearly, you will not have the drive to do the work needed.
- What are the 2 most important things you must stop doing to be a great leader?
- What are the 2 most important things you must start doing?
Part 1: The physiology of a high-performance leader
Your health is the foundation of every other aspect of your life. You can’t function properly if you don’t take care of your basic human needs: proper nutrition, enough sleep, intentional movements, lots of water, and daily sunlight. (learn 6 easy ways to stop being tired).
You know what you should do and what you shouldn’t do regarding your health. But do you actually do what’s best for you?
“Common sense is not always common practice.”
To be a great leader, you must value your health and encourage others to take care of themselves. Your health is an investment with an infinite ROI. It is non-negotiable and part of your daily routine.
Furthermore, to be a great leader, you must be intentional about how you portray yourself to the world. As they kept yelling in my military training: ”stand tall, chin up, shoulder back, chest out!”. Yes, appearance matters. You have to learn to master your physiology and pay attention to demonstrating care, engagement, and respect to the people you interact with.
Action step:
- How do you wish to occur to people through your posture, gesture, and voice?
- How do people actually perceive you?
- What is one thing that you need to improve to portray your best self to the world?
Part 2: The psychology of a great leader
To be a great leader, you have to become highly intentional. You must take the time to reflect on yourself and behave consistently in alignment with who you are and aspire to be. To lead with integrity is to hold yourself to your highest standard and make ethical decisions, even when it is difficult, while always staying true to your values and beliefs.
Great leaders have complete ownership of their life and are not blaming anyone for their problems. They are authentic and show up with integrity. They are not shy to be vulnerable and decide to be brave instead of strong.
They assume full responsibility for their team’s failure and don’t take credit for their successes. They are always ready and never make excuses. Moreover, They focus on what is best for their business while keeping their ego out of the way.
The biggest challenge is that there is a lack of accountability structure for leaders; they are surrounded by a “yes” culture and have nobody to keep them in check. Therefore, to be a great leader, you need to create a code of conduct to guide your actions and be committed to becoming your best self, and inspire others to do the same. Don’t show the way; lead the way.
Action step:
- What is your code of conduct?
- What kind of leader are you afraid to become if not kept in check?
- What are a few questions you could ask yourself before making any decision so you always lead with integrity?
Part 3: The best practices to be a great leader
Firstly, you have to train yourself to think further than just yourself. You must understand the ripple effects of your decisions in changing the world around you. A great leader sees thinking as a discipline and creates space for reflection, debriefing, and integration. He creates other leaders within the organization and understands how to leverage decentralization. He asks powerful questions and empowers people to make decisions and give trust.
Secondly, to be a great leader you must ensure that everyone understands what and why they do what they do. You must challenge people and create a high-performance culture by encouraging initiative and acknowledging proactivity.
Lastly, great leaders understand their role and work more on their business than in their business. They plan for the worst and expect the best. They prioritize to keep the main thing, the main thing.
Action step:
Create a thinking block time to reflect on how you show up and the following:
- What have you done this week to empower the people on your team?
- Have you listened more than you talked recently? (hint: you should!)
- What have you done for your growth and the personal development of people on the team?
Part 4: To be a great leader you must role model the way
To sum up, great leaders lead by example. They understand that how they show up is directly correlated with the success of their business and the performance of their team. They create the culture within their organization.
“By helping others grow, you give them the opportunity to take ownership of their actions and the results.”
You don’t become a great leader overnight. Because it is a process of self-mastery, it takes time. It’s never too early or too late to start working on yourself. What about starting today? What about committing to reaching your next level today to create more success in your professional and personal life tomorrow?
Whenever you’re ready, we should talk.
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Download Chapter 1 of my new book: "The Illusion of Time"
After nearly dying in a tsunami, I dove deep into personal growth, trying to find answers to my questions. I promised myself to live every single day to the fullest and inspire others to do the same. But for that, I had to get better at life. In my book “The Illusion of Time,” I put together 11 lessons to not suck at life and make the most out of it.
NEW NEW NEW NEW
Download Chapter 1 of my new book: "The Illusion of Time"
After nearly dying in a tsunami, I dove deep into personal growth, trying to find answers to my questions. I promised myself to live every single day to the fullest and inspire others to do the same. But for that, I had to get better at life. In my book “The Illusion of Time,” I put together 11 lessons to not suck at life and make the most out of it.
NEW NEW NEW NEW
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