Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
‘I’m at the end of my tether. I don’t know where to turn.’
My client stifled a sob, tears in her eyes, despair written all over her face.
I was more than a bit baffled. I was coaching a senior HR executive for a large multinational who was experiencing bullying at the hands of one of the directors.
Who do you go to when you are it?
She was the Head of HR and responsible for helping employees in this situation, but she couldn’t manage the toxic bullying in the company. This was no fault of her own.
The CEO knew it was happening and despite her bringing it to his attention several times, was not taking action, so how was she meant to stop it?
When those at the top of a company allow this behaviour to go unchecked, the organisation’s culture is negatively impacted, and where they lead, others follow.
From my fifteen years of experience going into organisations to run training programmes or provide coaching, this is sadly all too common.
Behaviours I have seen and heard include a lack of transparency, shaming staff, aggressive behaviour, and blaming employees for their mistakes.
What takes me to the fair is when I see the word ‘integrity’ in a company’s mission or vision statement, and there isn’t a shred of integrity being practiced or even an awareness of the lack of integrity throughout the organisation.
So, I’d like to ask you – what does integrity mean to you? Do you believe it can be developed and made part of the culture of an organisation, or is it inherent and either exists or does not?
Most leaders are trying their best. They are often overwhelmed, overworked and suffering from stress.
I believe that CEOs and leaders need to slow down, take a step back and reconnect with the values of transparency, accountability, respect and trust.
These are some of the values that make up organisational integrity.
Are you a CEO who is exhausted trying to fix the personnel issues in your organisation?
Are your employees productive and engaged with the organisation’s vision?
Is there an inherent level of trust in the organisation?
Or, instead, are you fire-fighting, trying to fix the issues with that one person who is negatively impacting the team?
Are you wondering why your employees are demotivated and disconnected?
If this sounds like you, perhaps you have forgotten the values and behavioural traits of integrity.
The word integrity has lost its value, and I want to remind CEOs and leaders that it matters.
It matters if you want to be a leader who is taken seriously.
It matters if you want to be a leader who builds trust.
It matters if you want to be a leader who can retain your employees and avoid the need to continually spend your budget on re-hiring.
It matters if you want to be an accountable and transparent leader.
It matters if you want to build a high-performing team in your organisation.
It matters if you want your organisation’s culture to be one of productivity, trust, success, and growth.
When you lead with integrity, you build a strong foundation for your business to grow successfully.
I am currently writing a book on Integrity in Business. I am looking to interview CEOs and/or business owners as part of my research. I would love to know whether integrity is important to you as a CEO and how you demonstrate integrity.
If you would be willing to do an interview, it would take about 30 minutes to an hour on Zoom. You will be credited in the book. Please get in touch by emailing me at justine@proactivecoaching.ie
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Thank you.
