Integrity of a Leader

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Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe stated, “One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.” In his magnum opus, Things Fall Apart, the main character—Okonkwo, an esteemed leader and warrior of a Nigerian village—ultimately hung himself before compromising his Nigerian values and succumbing to British colonization. What’s more, Okonkwo’s desire to achieve stemmed wholly in opposition to his father’s slothful and meek nature. Choosing to be a leader implies a higher standard of character and integrity; moreover, the conviction to never compromise in achieving one’s purpose. Integrity is the essence of a leader.

In Jack Welch’s, Winning, he stated that “integrity is just a ticket to the game. If you don't have it in your bones, you shouldn't be allowed on the field" (14).1 While working at United States Automobile Association (USAA), I found myself naturally placed in leadership roles, while working in a team environment. In particular, achieving the MVP Award for Leadership and Excellence in my first quarter with the company, was a realization that I had the strengths necessary to be a leader. Furthermore, moving from an entry-level position to a supervisory position with the company, was a further testament that leadership would become my aspiration.  Thereafter, the experiences I gained and the personal goals I achieved with USAA have significantly impacted me as a leader. For this paper, I will further examine the leadership and managerial aspects I experienced while working with USAA, in comparison to the Welch Way Principles and 8 Essential Rules.

1. “Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach and build self-confidence.”

The most important factor of a successful team is individual confidence within the team. I enjoyed working for USAA, mostly because I enjoyed being rewarded for my work ethic. My manager specifically, took every opportunity to provide ample praise for specific accomplishments. She was essentially injecting self-confidence into her team members. Moreover, this was a common theme among USAA managers. Likewise, I feel that self-confidence can be considered a strength pertaining to leadership. For example, I can relate self-confidence to my DISC profile; where Dominance focuses on being results-oriented and Influence relates to being optimistic. I consider these both to be strengths when it comes to leadership.

The best way to leverage and further develop these strengths is to treat business like a game. That is, in order for me to further improve on these strengths and cultivate areas for development, I should embrace competition and enjoy what I do. I found that USAA made competition fun, and was able to gain the most from their employees in doing so. Therefore, promoting competition provides the best opportunity to “evaluate, coach, and build self-confidence.”

1. “Leaders make sure people not only see the vision, they live and breathe it.”

Mission statements inspire people to feel that they are part of something big and important. At USAA, every employee was aware of company’s mission statement and core values. The mission allows a team to have a specific plan on winning in business. Whereas, values are the behaviors necessary to achieve the mission. USAA’s core values are “Service, Loyalty, Honesty and Integrity.” As aforementioned, Integrity is the essence of being a leader; whereby team members are loyal to the team’s mission.