Page 210 - Appreciative Leadership
P. 210
The Path of Integrity 183
The people we interviewed stressed the significance of integrity.
One person said emphatically, “When integrity is present, every-
thing else falls into place. When it’s not, you might as well stop right
there.” Being true to yourself is at the heart of being an appreciative
leader.
Recall a time when you were true to yourself:
PAUSE
What was the situation? Who else was involved?
What did you do to be true to yourself? How did it
feel? What can you learn from this situation to be even more
fully true to yourself in the future?
Right Relationships:
A Hallmark of Appreciative Leadership
Being on the path of integrity takes work and constant attention.
Think about trying to roll a boulder up a hill. It is hard work, and you
must constantly be present lest your boulder roll backward. So it is
with integrity. You cannot fall asleep on the path of integrity. It takes
awareness and attention to the quality and propriety of your relation-
ships to stay on the path.
Appreciative Leadership willingly and consciously considers and
communicates with others about the many paradoxes of right rela-
tionship:
• To have respect for authority yet speak truth to power
• To give voice to youth yet harvest the wisdom of experience
• To honor equality yet recognize excellence
• To respect elders yet be open to fresh ideas
• To speak well of others yet be honest about abuse and violence