There’s something I’ve noticed time and time again in leadership & in life—our integrity is often “out”, and let’s be honest, as human beings, we are always out of integrity somewhere in our life.
Integrity isn’t a once-and-done achievement; it’s something you have to continually work at. The more out of integrity you are, the less powerful you are in life and leadership. Your word, literally has no power.
The Integrity Levels and Leaks
I’ve written before about the four integrity leaks and the four levels before. These frameworks help us understand where we stand, comparatively, to where we want to be as a person and hence, what we need to do to course-correct.
Levels of Integrity: There are different levels of integrity, that you can choose to live your life from; each level up, becomes more powerful, so much so that if you say chair, a chair drops out of your mouth, so to speak. What I mean is that when you declare something, people know you to be someone who will manifest that something into being.
In distinguishing these levels, you now have choice about where you want to live from. This is not a question of morality; no one level is more right than another and it is not about judging someone else as less than. It is a question of choice. Who do you choose to be and what sort of life do you choose to live. When you bring awareness to something, you can now choose to be something else. Whatever, you choose!
Sometimes, in life, I find myself at Level 1—barely keeping my promises. Life happens right? Other times, I push myself, doing the hard work to reach a place where my values, words, and actions align completely, with my purpose. This is the real work of leadership and being a role model with influence. So let’s take a look at the 4 levels of integrity:
- Level 1: Promises. Keeping your promises and commitments. Although sometimes life happens and you can’t.
- Level 2: Honor. Keeping your promises but honoring your word. Giving the words that come out of your mouth; honor. So even when you can’t keep your promises, you don’t sweep it under the table, you go to that person and you clean up and then re-establish a new commitment. You are authentic about where you dropped the ball.
- Level 3: Alignment. Keeping your promises and honoring your word. Giving the words that come out of your mouth; honor. So even when you can’t keep your promises, you don’t sweep it under the table, you go to that person and you clean up and then re-establish a new commitment through authenticity. Living your life where your actions and words line up. There is alignment in what you say and what you do. You take action.
- Level 4: Purpose. Keeping your promises and honoring your word. Giving the words that come out of your mouth; honor. So even when you can’t keep your promises, you don’t sweep it under the table, you go to that person and you clean up and then re-establish a new commitment through authenticity. Living your life where your values, actions, words and purpose all line up. There is alignment in what you say and what you do. You take action. However now it is towards a greater purpose, in alignment with a set of values you live from. You make a stand in life about who you want to be and the direction you want to take your life towards.
Integrity Leaks:These are the small yet impactful ways we erode our own power. Missed commitments, unspoken truths, cutting corners—each of these diminishes our trustworthiness and effectiveness. So what are the 4 leaks:
- Breaking commitments & promises
- Not taking radical responsibility for your life, or taking on someone else’s responsibilities
- Not speaking your truth
- Not feeling what needs to be felt
These integrity leaks will shift you into catabolic energy, which is destructive, exhausting and disempowering. If you clean up these leaks and restore your integrity, you will shift into anabolic energy which is constructive and empowering. You will feel re-energized.
Integrity as a Practice
As a leadership coach, I don’t just talk about integrity—I choose to practice it daily. One of the most powerful exercises I use is writing an integrity list. This is an ongoing practice where I document everything I need, or want to do—or even aspire to do—to push myself further as a human being. It’s a way of holding myself accountable, of making sure my actions align with my purpose.
As mentioned, at times, my integrity spirals out of control. I get busy. I overcommit. I let things slip. I become aware of this and then I have to reset. I go back to my list, examine where I’ve fallen short, I clean up and recommit to the practice of integrity. Because that’s exactly what it is—a practice.
The Power of Honoring Your Word
One of the most transformative insights I’ve gained from is this: your word literally creates your world. Your word is not just something you throw around—it is the foundation of trust, credibility, and impact. It literally creates the context within which you live your life. You can choose something empowering, or something destructive and fear based. The choice is yours. Inside of that context, when you honor your word, you build power. When you fail to honor it, your influence diminishes.
Accountability is the glue that holds integrity together. It’s not just about personal discipline—it’s about creating structures that help you stay on track. Whether it’s writing an integrity list, having an accountability partner, or setting clear non-negotiables, the more you actively work on integrity, the more powerful you become. The more energized and motivated you also become. Having incomplete activities and promises in your life is literally energy draining. So where do you need to clean up your integrity?
Where Are You Out of Integrity?
In writing this article, I challenge you and myself, to take a hard look at our integrity. Where are your leaks? Where are you falling short of your values, your commitments, and your best self? Write an integrity list. Take stock. And then do the work. Because true leadership—true power—comes from aligning your words, your values, and your actions with your stated purpose, every single day.
So which level of integrity do you choose to live your life from? Do you also bounce between different levels? Do you see these 4 levels at play in your life?
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