Week 7 :-: Integrity

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. – Matthew 5:8

For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man. - 2 Corinthians 8: 21

"It is true that integrity alone won't make you a leader, but without integrity you will never be one." Zig Ziglar

"Earn trust, earn trust, earn trust. Then you can worry about the rest."  Seth Godin

“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.” Norman Schwarzkopf

“Integrity gives you real freedom because you have nothing to fear since you have nothing to hide.” Zig Ziglar

I once interviewed for an IT job with the World Bank and one of the questions they had me answer, was to rank a list of words, in order of importance. One of those words on the list of around seven words was integrity. Needless to say, my interviewers were looking to see how high I considered integrity as a value in my work.

So what is integrity? A Google search pulls up the following results:

 Looking at the definition, we see words such as uprightness, whole and morality, which speak to character. Integrity is therefore a state of being and the foundation on which Servant Leadership is built. As leaders (husbands, parents, colleagues, pastors etc.), we are faced with choices every day. Some choices are definitely easier to make than others. A Servant Leader's greatest aspiration however is to be a true disciple of Jesus, even in his/her choices. He (Jesus) is our perfect example of integrity. Though tempted in every way, He never failed!  History however abounds with instances of failed leadership due to the lack of integrity (e.g. Bernard Lawrence "Bernie" Madoff) resulting in great loss including human life. As discussed earlier on in this training, Bernie Madoff ran one of the largest Ponzi schemes in American history, which rid investors of around $17 billion in assets, according to court documents. Madoff hurt the American economy as a whole and was given a 150-year prison sentence. 

Every now and then, the world goes through a revolution of ideas. The so called Post Modernistic era in which we are currently living, has had a significant impact on how humans perceive and interact with truth. One of the main issues promoted by Postmodernism is the relativity of truth. Truth is no longer an absolute but relative as perceived by proponents of the theory. You just need to either read a book or watch news or a few Hollywood movies to see a trend of society trying to redefine morality, which in most cases demote rather than promote humans. The values being sold on TV and the internet, have little or no moral value ( in the light of the definition of integrity) but somehow, in this Post Modern age, if you do not agree with the ideologies being promoted, you are labeled as the enemy (a bigot). Truth has become something that is socially constructed rather than based on moral values drawn from human experience, and the Bible. The Bible has guided human morality and action for thousands of years but today, many are seeking so called freedom from the "strict" teachings of scripture. Chesterton reminds us that "Do not remove a fence until you know why it was put up in the first place". In spite of all the noise, The Bible still stands solid in the world of new ideas and Jesus is still the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

He is absolute truth and we can look up to Him for the definition of what truth is in our marriages, relationships, raising our children, leading teams, answering the issues raised by society, and in all other leadership contexts. In order to walk faithfully in Integrity though, the servant leader needs to consistently sow into his/her “Integrity Bank”, rather than withdraw from it. Small actions of compromise can expose and break you. These small actions weaken your ability to influence positively and hence lead. A leader who consistently demonstrates a lack of integrity will loss the respect of his/her followers.

Servant leaders can gain inspiration by looking at how Jesus did it. How did he stay whole, remain righteous in the face of temptations?

A. How did Jesus overcome temptation?

After being baptized, Jesus went into a fast in the wilderness and was tempted by the Devil in 3 areas. These can be broadly categorized under:

1.         Pride- "If you are the son of God..."

2.         Lust - "I will give you..."

3.         Power – "Turn these stones into bread"

In all three instances, Jesus responded with the Word of God, which represents the basis for His values. He also had the big picture in mind as well as divine backing. Do you have the Word of God in your heart? Does it determine your choices, speech and actions? How often do we only read whole books of the Bible rather than just verses that you like? The three areas represented above are the three areas in which the enemy still tries to tempt the disciples of Jesus today. They have been major stumbling stones for many leaders over the centuries. Will you be different? Let us examine our hearts.

Answer the following questions honestly:

a. Do you have issues with pride? Do you seek for recognition? Do you get angry or sad when others outperform you? Do you feel you are better than others? Do you always try to justify yourself? Do you generally think your opinion is the most important? If you said yes to any of these, you may have issues with pride.

b. Do you invite members of the opposite to be with you alone? Do you see God as provider? Can you sacrifice anything for money? Do you think of other women/men as more beautiful than your spouse (if you are married)? Do you comment on the beauty of the opposite sex, where-as you find it difficult to tell your spouse how beautiful they are? Can you be trusted with money? Do you owe anyone and despite your promises, you have not yet paid back? Are you incorruptible?  If you said yes to any of these, you may have issues with lust (Money, possessions, men/women).

c. Do you like to be served? Do seek to always impose your will on others? In what ways do you serve your family, church, team? Are you approachable? If you said yes to any of these, you may have issues with power.

Your answers should lead you to reflect, work to change and pray for God's help. The basic foundation of leadership is the leader’s integrity. You may have made mistakes in the past but there is hope. If you sow integrity as a leader, you will also reap integrity in return.

B. Steps towards building a solid foundation of trust.

1.   Pre-determine your values. Write them somewhere as a reminder (if you have not already done so). What are your values as a Servant Leader?

2.   Be proactive and develop a plan for managing temptations in the area of Money, Women/Men, Pride and Power. Being prepared is winning the battle in advance. What is your plan?

3.   Draw up a plan for developing personal intimacy with God and to develop habits of personal devotion. Some activities need to go. The activities you involve yourself in during your leisure time, may come back to haunt you. Are you spending too much time on the Internet, reading news or watching movies? How is this affecting your time with the Lord, your family and others?

4.   Engage in renewing your mind and behavior to reflect God's image. God's image refers to reason, personality, intellect, capacity to relate, to hear, see and speak. He also chose you to be His kingdom agent, to rule over and subdue the rest of creation including satanic forces. Your sexual morality, money handling, power and position, should reflect your being salt and light. This will be achieved through your personal discipline as you remain humble (relying on God), a visionary (setting goals) and "convictional" (always doing right). No one else can bear your responsibility. Without me (Jesus), you can do nothing. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall bear much fruit (John 15).

5.   Develop habits of a good steward. Everything you possess is from God. He expects you to manage, invest and use them wisely. Think about your people, time, finance in stewardship terms. What would you change in terms of how you manage these? You need to be an effective steward of time ("…Redeeming the time..." Ephesians 5:16) for the sake of God's Kingdom. I wrote down the following after taking a similar course in 2008. This may help inspire you in drawing your own plan for stewardship.

 

6.   Seek to restore wholeness to your family and teams. As a leader, bless your family and add value to each member. Honor your people and model service rather than retaliating at each opportunity. Develop a winning partnership with each one. Discern the uniqueness in your people and work with them to build them up as servant leaders in their own right. Use your gifts (spiritual and physical), to bless your family and teams.

7.   Expand your horizon to apply Kingdom values to the marketplace, society and the environment. Display an attitude of gratitude, self-control and trust in God for provision. Be honest, a good “repent-er” (be quick to recognize your mistakes and apologize), promoter of excellence in the marketing place and an atmosphere of peace and harmony applying Kingdom values no matter where you find yourself.

8.   Craft a plan for continuous evaluation of your personal growth in the Lord. This will keep you humble. Humility will keep you on the path of integrity.

It is possible to build lasting fruits of integrity. Let your yes be yes. Again, be reminded, "Trust Is the Foundation of Leadership". Are you worthy of trust (Proverbs 12:22- 22 The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy)? Have you burned some bridges? You now have the opportunity to regain trust. Transformation from start from within and the Holy Spirit is willing to help you.

Week 7 Assignment:

Design your plan for building a solid foundation (integrity) and self-discipline, based on the 8 points discussed above.

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Please e-mail your answers to team21online@gmail.com and your mentor.

Write a brief summary of what you learned this week and explain why it is important for all leaders. Post on your blog and share the link in your group.