Page 204 - Appreciative Leadership

The Path of Integrity 177

and your ability to act in ways that honor it all. Whether a person, a
team, or a whole department, Appreciative Leadership is true to itself,
while caring for and meeting the needs of others—while working in
service to the whole.

Moments before the start of the 50-meter freestyle semifi nal
at the Beijing Olympic Games, millions of people watched in
surprise as U.S. swimmer Dara Torres rushed across the pool
deck frantically waving her arms at poolside offi cials. When
she reached the nearest official, the two spoke briefl y and

the competition was halted. Spectators later found out that
a competitor from Sweden had torn her swimsuit, and Dara

had asked the official to delay the race to allow for a quick suit
change. Such gestures are rare. Dara enabled a competitor to
stay in the race. She put aside her need to focus on a solid start
off the block, putting her own performance in jeopardy—all
because she believed in fair competition.

“To thine own self be true” is a saying that means many diff er-

ent things. The people we interviewed described being true to them-
selves as making decisions by trusting their intuition (their gut);
acting in alignment with their values, principles, or beliefs; and work-

ing from their strengths and passions. They emphasized “doing what
you believe is right, no matter what other people think” and “walking
the talk.” One younger colleague commented, it is “making sure that
your audio and video are in sync.”
In our experience, Appreciative Leadership practices include being
true to yourself in seven important ways. All seven of these practices,
summarized in Table 7-1, are required to unleash the positive power
of integrity. The absence of any one of them will have negative conse-

quences and derail you from the path of integrity.