Leading Your Project to Success with Integrity & Trust
3 ways to translate strength of character into successful leadership.
đ Welcome to The Influential Project Manager, a weekly newsletter covering the essentials of successful project leadership.
Todayâs Overview:
What is integrity and what does it look like in action?
Why is integrity critical for project management?
Three ways to lead with integrity & build trust: (1) Live what you teach, (2) Let them see you sweat; and (3) Build accountability.
One Quote from Warren Buffett.
One Essay:
Leading with Integrity
To have a project thatâs truly successful, viable, and long-lasting, the entire team has to work like an orchestra.
Itâs not merely enough to get to the end of the piece, it has to be done well. Everything (and everyone) has to come together in the right way, at the right times.
Similarly the integrity of the project depends on how well each team member performs and fits together in a way thatâs right for the project, as well as their individual skill, experience, and knowledge.
If one team member doesnât fit right, the entire project might under perform, or worse, fail. Just like the orchestra conductor, itâs the responsibility of the project manager to make sure that doesnât happen.Â
Character in Action
As mentioned in this article, integrity is one of the 9 key qualities of a high performing PMs. After all, their actions set an example and determine ethical standards for the rest of the team.Â
The most effective way to ensure your team shares your commitment and drive is to lead with integrity and build trust.
Integrity is âcharacter in action.â
You do what you say.
You conform to the values that you espouse.
So, what does it mean to manage projects with integrity? What exactly you should and shouldnât do?
Always tell the truth. Do not twist the facts regardless of the consequences.
Do not hide the information, each and every report is a complete truth about the current project status.
Always respect commitments you took and deliver results as promised.
Take responsibility for the results and do not put the blame on others.
Confront the problems and issues directly, argue openly and honestly even if others will not like the answers.
Give acknowledgment to those who deserved it regardless of the circumstances.
Provide support to those in need whenever is needed.
Take âextreme ownershipâ of the project.Â
Communicate clearly and in a timely manner.Â
Get clarity on the reason behind undertaking the project and what the project means to the company and stakeholders.
Honor your word and clear up the resulting mess if youâre unable to do so.Â
Integrity is the manifestation of an unshakable set of principles - principles that you will not violate under any circumstances.
Leaders have to impress who and what they are - on the people around them. This means that you do what is right.
Your behavior is predictable, because you are consistent in your choices and your actions.
People will be watching what you do, rather than listening to what you say.
When relationships on your project are built on trust and integrity, you can be sure that your team will be able to reach higher performance.
Personal integrity generates trust and is the basis of many different kinds of deposits. - Stephen R. Covey
Let me share with you three ways to develop your personal integrity as a leader.
1. Live what you teach
Does your leadership reflect consistency of your values?
The leader who does not practice what they preach will not have very many people who choose to line up behind them.
That leader will look back over their shoulder and find few people standing there.
Itâs one thing to talk about your values, but remember that people are watching what you do.
Vince Lombardi, arguably one of the worlds greatest coaches was known for his integrity. This excerpt from his biography illustrates this value perfectly:
One reason Lombardi was able to extract extraordinary effort from his players was that they understood that he was making an even greater effort. True, he wasnât experiencing the cuts and bruises that players were incurring daily on the practice field. But he pushed himself to the limit, just as he pushed them. He came early, left late, and almost never took a day off. He was leading with integrity, demonstrating the same commitment he demanded from his players.
Great leaders win the hearts of their followers.
They do so by being involved up to their necks, and making the commitment clear.
2. Let them see you sweat
Why should other people kill themselves for the project if you, the leader, arenât the first one over the barricade?
It takes courage to let down your guard and show weakness or vulnerability.
One of the most significant benefits of working for a leader who âlets them see you sweatâ is that it creates an environment of openness and honesty for everyone on the team. Â
3. Build accountability
I know that no leader is perfect.  Therefore, I instinctively know that a leader is hiding something by acting like they have no chinks in their armor.Â
Accountability is an important aspect in order to create trust.
When you donât take responsibility for your actions, you might as well step down of your leadership role.
Without accountability there is no trust and without trust, there is no leadership.
Act your integrity.
By taking full ownership, you can be a leader who practice transparency by learning to share your mistakes.
Take responsibility when you screw up, and take credit when you meet with success.
The research shows that when a leader opens up about vulnerabilities, it creates trust in their team.
Owning your weaknesses and issues makes it possible for you as a leader to relate to your team at a level otherwise impossible. Â
It opens the team up to see something authentic in their leader.
Make sure this applies to everyone else on the team.
One Quote:
What Buffett is saying, essentially, is that intelligence and initiative are important, but integrity is what matters most.
Until next week,
Kyle Nitchen
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