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Many within (and outside of!) the Delta Companies, Inc., organization will know Wally from his many training sessions at Colas University, various Colas meetings, and even our own Delta Days training events. As a former U.S. Marine Officer, Wally led a tank battalion before becoming a pilot of AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. Today, he serves as President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. To learn more about Wally, visit his website at www.firestarterspeaking.com.
Our exploration of "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business", begins with the first secret: INTEGRITY which carries with it Trustworthy, Consistent, and Non-negotiables.
"Integrity is what you do when it doesn't matter, when no one will ever know what you did. Integrity is more than what you do; it is who you are." - John Russell III, Captain USMC
Trustworthy
Universally, people want to work for someone they can trust.
The reciprocal of trust is leadership in its most basic form. A leader says, "Here is what I want you to do, and I trust you to do it." The follower says, "I will do it because I trust you to do the right thing."
When asked, "What is the most important leadership trait?", integrity is the universal response. How, then, do leaders manifest it? How do they measure it in others? Through truth, honesty, consistency, and respect - in public and private.
The leader with integrity assigns deadlines based on the needs and realities of the task at hand, and explains whey the task matters and why it must be accomplished by a given time.
The leader with integrity delivers personal feedback. Rather than always tell the group some generic or hollow comment, he specifically points out what the group or an individual did. Good leaders also deliver candid feedback - what I call "brutal honesty". They are not afraid to tell it like it is.
Those we lead expect to be held accountable. The leader who overlooks problems sends the message that the standards are variable.
"Of course, for me to hold my people accountable, I must hold myself accountable. Ultimately, excellence is a shared commitment. We know the standards and we work together to achieve them." - Jim Chartier, Lieutenant Colonel USMCConsistent
People with integrity deliver on the commitments they make and accept by knowing not only their own capability and workload, but also those of their team. They don't over-commit. They are able to say no and explain why. When they do say yes, they get the job done. If they later find that they cannot get it done, they quickly get help and notify the appropriate people.
People with integrity aren't defensive. They know when they are right and they defend their position. But they do so with grace and even temper. They also know when they are wrong and will accept correction.
Acting with integrity lets your employees know what to expect because integrity is based on values, and values are constant.
Credibility based on integrity is developed and reinforced one interaction at a time.
Non-negotiables
The reality is that leaders need to be comfortable with a wide gray area that allows individual action and flexibility for the subordinate. Do you want those following you to follow a specified path to achieve the desired result, or do you want the desired result? The answer to both questions is "Yes". Sometimes you will want them to follow a specific path; this is a non-negotiable. More often, you are interested in the result and, as long as your people act with integrity during the process (they didn't break any rules, didn't hurt anyone), then it doesn't matter how they got there. This is the gray area that leaders need to get comfortable with.
Integrity matters here because the non-negotiables need to be communicated to employees. Then they must be maintained and upheld. In the absence of any mitigating circumstances, non-negotiables are just that: not open for debate. They are the things that must always be addressed. Deviation from a non-negotiable should be addressed in an intense and forthright manner.
"Integrity matters because it enables you to have real relationships based on trust. And when we trust each other, we can excel together. An when we excel together we are having fun together." - Mark Rullman, Captain USMC
As you know, INTEGRITY is one of the Core Values of Delta Companies, Inc.
"Honesty and fairness guide our every action."
We can sum up this week's lesson by borrowing from an old credit card commercial - INTEGRITY, don't leave home without it!
Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc
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