Can Honest Leaders Rebuild Integrity? Insights from a Study of 6,025 Leaders

A colleague and I were discussing if it was possible to recover from being seen as possessing a major flaw in honesty and integrity. I identified a variety of honest leaders who had tried to improve their honesty and integrity and seemed to make some progress, but for most people, this seemed to be a pit from which there was no escape.

I decided to look at the data for honest leaders. First, I sought to understand if it was even possible. Was there evidence that it frequently happened? Second, I wanted to know what those who succeeded at changing actually did.

The Data for Honest Leaders

I assembled a dataset of 6,025 leaders who participated in 360-degree assessments with feedback from their manager, peers, direct reports, and other raters. In this case, each leader did an initial assessment (pre-test) and then, after 18 to 24 months, received a second assessment (post-test).

I identified 546 leaders with a potentially fatal flaw in their honesty and integrity competency. This is defined by that person scoring at or below the 10^th percentile when assessed by others. We then compared each leader’s pre-test to their post-test results. The results were that:

• 15% of the leaders were rated more poorly in their post-test results;
• 14% made a slight positive change;
• 12% made moderate improvement, moving from the lowest decile to the 44^th percentile;
• 9% significantly changed from the bottom decile to the 75^th

Was the pit too deep to escape? The resounding answer is “NO”. Digging yourself out of a deep pit is possible but not easy. 21% of the leaders made meaningful and substantial improvements in becoming an honest leader.

In the graph below, we show the results for each group.

Learning from Honest Leaders: How to Dig Yourself Out of the Pit?

Looking at the post-test results, we compared those honest leaders with moderate and significant improvement to leaders who decreased and only slightly improved on 49 behaviors. While every one of the 49 behaviors showed significant differences, we looked at the behaviors that had the most substantial improvements for insights into the key behaviors linked to the change.

1. Following through on commitments. One of the biggest problems with perceptions of dishonesty comes from a person failing to do something they said they would do. Many times, these are little things, such as when people pass you in the hall and say, “Will you send me the XYZ report?” You reply, “Yes.” You go back to your desk, get distracted with other issues, and never send the report. Many people quickly agree to do things but must be faster or remember to deliver.
2. Be careful about the commitments you make. Write them down, track them, and deliver what you promise. Sometimes, people have difficulty completing an assignment. Still, rather than letting others know, they put off telling others or asking for help until the last minute, making their failure to deliver even more problematic. Honest leaders keep others informed in advance.
3. Having poor judgment in making important decisions. No one wants to appear to be incompetent. They often feel that asking others for advice or input makes them look less competent. Paradoxically, if you want others to perceive you to be incompetent, you must make several poor decisions. The surest way to avoid that is to seek the opinions of others. Further, the reality is that asking others for their input and advice makes you look more confident and intelligent.
4. Cooperating rather than competing with others. Some people at work feel that they are in competition with every other employee and there will only be one winner in the race. Competing with others sets them up as winners or losers and no one wants to be a loser. Cooperating with your colleagues makes them feel that everyone is on the same team and that you have their best interests at heart.
5. Create an atmosphere of continuous improvement for yourself and others. Demonstrate an interest in improving your effectiveness, learning new skills, and being more effective. Show others that you are working on self-improvement and ask for their help.
6. Make sure you are trusted by others. Trust is a magic quality that has a profound impact on every other leadership capability. If you try to communicate with another person and they do not trust you, then your communication will not be understood or believed. Lack of trust creates friction in the workplace and ultimately slows everything down. You can increase your trust by improving your relationships with others, sharing your expertise, and acting consistently.
7. Staying in touch with the issues and concerns of others. Having a leader who shows consideration for you and cares about what is happening in your life creates a trusting bond. A leader who is only concerned that you produce your work on time and on budget generates no bond, only a transaction of work for money. Most people want to work with honest leaders who care about them and their circumstances.
8. Communicates regularly, frequently, and well. In our research, we found that keeping others informed is the easiest competency to develop, but for many, that needs to be improved. If I fail to keep you well informed, errors, mistakes, and problems will likely occur. How often do you have a disagreement with others where you insist that you clearly communicated, but they do not remember or understand? The fault is not with them but rather with you. Poor communication causes leaders to misunderstand, make mistakes, generate errors, and break promises.
9. Regularly ask for feedback and make a diligent effort to improve. Those leaders who have a regular habit of asking others for feedback are often the highest-rated, most influential leaders. This habit can change your life because others see quite clearly what you could do to be more effective, but you fail to see these things yourself. Ask for feedback in a way that lets others know you want feedback, not compliments. Say things like, “What could I have done to have a more effective meeting?” or “How could I have communicated that more clearly?”

Becoming an Honest Leader

This study offers a compelling message of hope: transformation is possible. The data shows that while climbing out of the pit of perceived dishonesty and lack of integrity is challenging, it is not an insurmountable task. A significant 21% of honest leaders demonstrated meaningful and substantial improvements in their integrity scores, proving that personal change is achievable.

Key behaviors such as following through on commitments, being mindful of promises, seeking advice, cooperating with colleagues, and fostering an atmosphere of continuous improvement are instrumental in this transformation. Moreover, enhancing trust, staying in touch with others’ concerns, maintaining effective communication, and regularly seeking feedback are pivotal strategies that can lead to significant positive changes in honest leadership.

This evidence shatters the notion that one’s character is immutable. Instead, it highlights the potential for growth and improvement, regardless of past shortcomings. Leaders, and indeed anyone striving to better themselves, should take heart from these findings. By focusing on specific, actionable behaviors, they can not only improve their integrity and honesty but also enhance their overall effectiveness and influence. Change is not just possible; it is within reach for those committed to the journey.

-Joe Folkman