Center for Integrity in Leadership

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CEO RESPONSIBILITIES LEADERSHIP AND IMPACT©
Bracher Center for Integrity in Leadership (11-17-03)

Attract Capital: secure adequate funding from sales, investors and partners.
Foster Competence: discover, recruit, nurture, teach, coach, mentor, recognize and retain top-performers. Hire individuals who know themselves, are committed to supporting their organization and appreciate the importance of hard work. Retain those who will study the marketplace they are going to serve.
Insist on Character: accept no substitutes for the truth, the fulfillment of commitments, the generosity of spirit, or community citizenship and social responsibility.
Clarify organizational purpose, all the time: maintain ongoing “two-way” conversations regarding strategic and operational direction with stake-holders to sustain the integrity of vision and mission. Keeps information flowing while emphasizing customer satisfaction along side quality products and services.
Refine Communication: be visible, listen responsively at all levels, pay attention, attend meetings and repeat common themes, matching spoken words and actions with written documents. Live the culture and command respect by personal example.
Be Consistent: remember that stakeholders watch and compare what you do, how you do it; what you say, how you say it. Treat everyone as a partner. You are the role model. Enable colleagues to anticipate responses by behaving predictably. Reward integrity-centered push-back with public appreciation and encouragement. When circumstances require an inspector or an enforcer of the rules, step up to the tasks, willingly.
Develop Chemistry: invest in interpersonal processes that strengthen relationships which can accelerate productivity. Take time to build substantive connections and make room for differences in style, leveraging discipline with creativity.
Leverage Confidence: enjoy the successes at every step. Celebrating memorable moments of high performance capture mindshare, often transforming employees into mission-driven believers.
Utilize Compensation: distribute the financial rewards appropriately. Make sure that everyone participates in the economic successes, from the frontline employees and members of the leadership team to the investors, partners and board members.

LEADERSHIP AND IMPACT ARE ALL ABOUT LISTENING: BEGINNING WITH SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND ENDING WITH GRACIOUS SERVICE TO OTHERS. ALONG THE WAY THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF TRANSACTIONS. THOSE WHO SEEM TO DO THE BEST UNDERSTAND RELATIONSHIPS, VALUE FRIENDSHIPS AND ALWAYS OPERATE WITH INTEGRITY-CENTERED LEADERSHIP.

A recent investment newsletter "Young's Intelligence Report," Volume 26, No. 9 contained the following quote from Warren Buffett:

"In evaluating people, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if you don't have the first, the other two will kill you."

Over and over, the lessons remain the same: integrity matters.

IMPROVING UNDERSTANDING AND AVOIDING POLARIZATION -- team application*

When individuals:

Understand the required skill sets to make their team productive,

Are valued by and bring value to the organization,

Are committed to the vision, mission and strategy, and

Are signed-on to the organization’s supported behavior and culture,

then no issue can polarize the group or create destructive behaviors.

*Developed by James F. Bracher, November 18, 1994

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