Vital Integrities

Author George Brymer has a warning for today's business leaders: The former heads of companies like Enron, Arthur Anderson, Global Crossing, HealthSouth, WorldCom, and Tyco are making their jobs harder than ever. How? Newspapers report daily on investigations of business leaders accused of overstating earnings, hiding massive debt, diverting millions of dollars in company funds for their personal use, using questionable accounting practices, and obstructing justice. As a result, employees everywhere are perpetuating stereotypes associating leaders at every level of their organizations with dishonesty and untrustworthiness.

In 2004, a human resources consulting firm found that only half of all U.S. workers, just 51 percent, trust their organization's senior leaders. As Brymer points out, diminishing trust and loyalty levels may in part reflect "fallout" from the many highly publicized corporate scandals of recent years, and how these disgraces have affected employees at all institutions.

These days, says Brymer, employees are searching for leaders with integrity who prove their credibility continuously. But how do leaders prove their credibility? To help current and future leaders answer that question, Vital Integrities focuses on six behaviors that Brymer determined are common to values-based leaders, practices he refers to as "Vital Integrities."

The book contains detailed descriptions of the six Vital Integrities, along with illustrations explaining how they complement and interact with one another. Here are some excerpts:

Accept challenges and take risks: "Values-based leaders are risk takers, and more importantly, risk seekers, adventurers who position themselves to discover new challenges. Risk seeking separates these leaders from the yesteryear-theory bureaucrats who sit around supervising the work. Why is that important? Leadership is proactive, as people can only follow leaders who are moving."

Master both listening and speaking: "The way we communicate with our employees impacts how workers understand our messages, and what actions, if any, they take in response. Values-based leaders must build ongoing 'communication relationships,' in which people feel included, appreciated, and respected. To achieve these goals, leaders need to use clear language, master the art of storytelling, and listen with their eyes as well as their ears."

Live by the values they profess: "Consistency between an organization's stated values and its leaders' actual behavior is critical to credibility. When there is discrepancy between what leaders say and what they do, employees immediately and rightly recognize those leaders as frauds."

Freely give away their authority: "Surprisingly, it is the expectations micromanagers have for themselves that must change. Leaders who consider themselves highly effective are more apt to view all workers as reachable, teachable, and worthy of attention. You must believe, regardless of your perceptions of each employee's potential, in your own abilities to teach and inspire."

Recognize the best in others: "The most overlooked aspect of the whole idea of ranking is the frustration that leads many companies to implement differentiation in the first place. The term forced ranking says it all. It highlights deeper leadership issues-specifically, issues with managers who fear singling people out for outstanding efforts, who fail to address poor performance, and who neglect their duty to fire employees when necessary."

Have a vision and convince others to share it: "Without an inspiring vision from their leaders, employees will struggle to discern any link between their private ambitions and the company's actual mission. And leaders who fail to communicate messages that inspire trust will find leadership unnecessarily difficult."

While exploring this practical, battle-tested approach to values-based leadership, new managers will discover essential survival skills, and experienced leaders will gain a fresh perspective on helping employees remain committed to their organizations. In fact, there's help in this book not only for managers, but also for supervisors, team leaders, and professionals at all levels. Whether the reader is just starting a leadership journey, or is an experienced pro looking to get back on course, the six Vital Integrities will serve as an invaluable guide.

The book's emphasis is on helping people lead others, but readers will also find recommendations for applying values-based leadership skills to their other relationships, including with those to whom they report. As Brymer points out, the best leaders understand how to lead from all directions. And Brymer says that past participants in his leadership workshops have also reported success in applying the six Vital Integrities not only at work, but in their roles as spouses, parents, grandparents, sons and daughters, and friends. In fact, readers will find the Vital Integrities helpful in any relationship that cherishes values.

To contact George Brymer, email him at george.brymer@allsquareinc.com