Introduction

Human beings are born alone but they

have to live in groups, work in groups to

make any meaningful impacts in the world.
There is a limit to which a person can live
in isolation.
Consequently, an individual will need to
relate with others in the family, workplace,
and the society.

Introduction
In an attempt to create orderliness and

sense of direction there is the need to have

someone who is saddled with responsibility
of leading the group or directing the affairs.
The focus of this topic, therefore, is on the
concept of leading others and one of the
attributes that will make the act of leading
others effective.

The Concepts of Lead and Integrity Defined

Meaning of Lead
To lead according to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary is
to:
cause (a person or animal) to go with one by holding them
by the hand, a halter, a rope, etc. while moving forward.
show (someone or something) the way to a destination by
going in front of or beside them.
be a route or means of access to a particular place or in a
particular direction
be a reason or motive for (someone)
culminate or result in (a particular event or consequence)
be superior to (competitors or colleagues).

A leader then is someone who leads others to

achieve common set goals.

Other definitions of leader include:
Leaders are individuals who establish direction
for a working group of individuals who gain
commitment form these group of members to
this direction and who then motivate these
members
to
achieve
the
direction's
outcomes.
- Conger(1992, p18)

"Leaders are those who consistently make

effective contributions to social order, and
who are expected and perceived to do so.
- Hosking (1988, p.153).
For more definitions on Leaders and

Leadership see
http://adeoyemayowaleadership.blogspot.com
.ng/

In order to lead effectively,

a leader will need to exhibit

quite a number of qualities
or characters.
One of such is INTEGRITY.

Integrity has been recognized to be

central
factor
in
effectiveness (Gostick
2003).

leadership
& Telford,

Leader integrity has long been cited

as an important if not the most

important
leader
characteristic
( Moorman & Grover, 2009).

It has even been postulated that integrity is the

hallmark of the morally intelligent person and one of

the four principles that are vital for sustained
personal and organizational success realized that
(Lennick & Kiel, 2008).
Dwight D. Eisenhower said,

The
supreme
quality for leadership is
unquestionably integrity. Without it no real
success is possible, no matter whether it is on a
section gang, a football field, in the army or in an
office.

Integrity?
What
The is
concept
of integrity feature in

most disciplines such as business,

accounting, psychology, medicine,
political science, philosophy, religious
study, counselling, and so on.
As important as the term is, a
consensus definition of the term is
elusive.

is Integrity?
What
In philosophy
and leadership literatures
Grover & Moorman (2007) posited that
leader integrity has been a subject of
significant disagreement.
Stated differently, integrity is interpreted to
mean different things to different persons
at diverse circumstances.
From Dictionary interpretation, integrity is
said to mean :

The Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a firm adherence to a

code of especially moral or artistic values (incorruptibility,)

an unimpaired condition (soundness,) and the quality or
state of being complete or undivided (completeness).
Synonyms for integrity include:
honesty,
uprightness,
probity,
rectitude,
honour,
honourableness,
upstandingness,
good
character,
principle(s), ethics, morals, righteousness, morality, nobility
, high-mindedness, right-mindedness, noble-mindedness,
virtue, decency, fairness, scrupulousness, sincerity,
truthfulness, trustworthiness .
From derivative point of examination integrity is a Latin
adjective integer which means whole or complete.
Scholastically, the following definitions have been put
forward:

Integrity is the extent to which our various

commitments form a harmonious, intact

whole (Furrow, 2005) p. 136).
Integrity is doing the right thing when no
one is watching. C.S. Lewis
Integrity is defined as the consistency
between what a leader says and what the
leader does. It's an alignment between a
person's values, beliefs, words and actions,
as well as the extent to which promises are
kept (Grover & Moorman, 2007)

Types of Integrity
There are 2 major types of Integrity. These are:

1)Integrity of character and

2)Professional integrity.
These are also known to be Individual and Corporate

Integrities.
It has been observed that that it is generally a personal
choice to uphold oneself to consistent moral and
ethical standards (Killinger, 2010).
Jan Warren Duggar (Holy Family University) in his
paper entitled The role of integrity in individual and
effective corporate leadership has this to say about
the two types of integrity:

On individual integrity, we talk about the character

of the person and our trust and belief in this

individual. At the individual level, integrity is more
than ethics; it is all about the character of the
individual.
It is those characteristics of an
individual that are consistently considerate,
compassionate, transparent, honest, and ethical.
We characterize individuals with integrity as
individuals that we can count on to do consistently
what is right and what is expected of them. They
are reliable and predictable in dealing with others
and with issues, and they are defenders of what is
fair, just, and acceptable.

 At the corporate level, we talk about leaders that

have created a corporate culture of integrity that

provides consistency, trust, and predictable results.
At the corporate level, integrity refers to the culture,
policies, and leadership philosophy. A culture of
integrity has to start at the top and be seen in the
conduct and activities of the executives. The
leadership of the corporation must develop a consensus
around shared values. As Kouzes and Posner (2002, pp.
79-80) point out, the development of shared values
improves the work environment and productivity.

Importance of Integrity

Integrity is a means of measuring

sound and good character.

When there is uncertainty about the
future performance of leaders integrity
could be used to predict likely future
attainments of the leader.
It enables followers to make precise
decision on their leaders.

Dangers of lack of Integrity

The following are dangers associated with

lack of integrity in organizations according to

Duggar:
High employee turnover rates.
Lack of trust (suspicion and paranoia), honesty,

and transparency.
Broken promises.
Disrespect-officers disparage colleagues or a
category of employees,

Dangers of lack of Integrity

Buck-passing - others are blamed for problems.
Unexpected financial events occur.
Reluctance to put policies and procedures into

written format,
Exaggeration of leadership accomplishments,
and
Limited board access to information, officers,
and employees.

Descriptors of Integrity
The following descriptors will assist you

to confirm your perceptions of integrity as

stated by Robert H. Moorman, Creighton
University, (US) and Steven Grover:
Continuous Personal Growth: Leaders with high

levels of integrity are in constant learning mode.

A promise is a promise: High-integrity leaders keep
their promises, and if they can't meet the agreed-upon
timeline, they will stay in communication with you
until the promise has been kept.

Descriptors of Integrity
Reliability: Just as we purchase proven brands,

leaders who are shown to be reliable and can be

counted on will attract more followers.
Accountability: High-integrity leaders don't just
blame others and/or take the blame themselves, they
own the situation and all of its outcomes.
Responsiveness: High-integrity leaders are good
time managers and will either respond immediately
and/or will inform you when they can get back to
your issue. If the situation is a crisis, they will be
there for you.

Poser

CAN
INTEGRITY BE
SOLD?