Do the right thing and build your brand on it

There is a lot of information out there about leading with integrity. Undoubtedly, this is important. Being true to your word, leading by example, and communicating with clarity and conciseness help drive the results you want. But I think it’s even simpler than that. It’s about doing what’s right. Doing the right thing often means doing the uncomfortable thing. The unpopular thing. The difficult thing. Doing the right thing can mean being ostracized and excluded in the moment.

Doing what is right can be painful. But it is worth it. Doing the right thing drives your brand. Who doesn’t want to be known as a person who does what is right? Consider this story I heard from a client:

My former boss reached out to me and asked me if I could put her in touch with a contact of mine. I told her that I could not. Years ago, you see, a colleague and another of her direct reports suffered a stroke, resulting in partial paralysis. It was well known that she had a personal ax to grind with this guy, and rather than accommodate his request to work from his home, she required him to come into the office every day. His commute entailed taking a bus, a subway, and then walking for 10 minutes. It was burdensome to him. There was no reason, other than spite, that she refused to allow him to work from home. Yes, he was technically cleared to return to work by disability, but getting to and from work presented an unreasonable challenge. And that is why I will not help her. I don’t trust her, and I am not putting myself on the line for someone like that. 

And there you have it. This manager probably complied with all company policies. But she didn’t do the right thing. The people around her noticed that she was not doing the right thing, and her personal brand suffered. Her successes, the positive experiences that people had with her? Those became secondary. 

In contrast, here is a different perspective:

My brother is an addict. His addiction has put our entire family through hell. A few years ago he was homeless, so I took him in. The havoc he wreaked on my personal life was immense—from stealing money and my car, to trashing my house. During these months, my performance at work took a nosedive. I was constantly worried about what I was going to find when I got home. Would my house be a disaster? Would he have hacked into my banking account? Would I come home to find him dead? My boss had a conversation with me; at that time he made it very clear that he wanted to help me turn around my performance. I spilled my guts to him, sobbing along the way. His response was amazing. He told me that he was going to take my critical projects off my plate and would handle them himself. He also told me to be sure I followed up on my emails, but really to put my personal crisis before anything else. When it came time for my performance review, he gave me a satisfactory rating. He could have given me a poor rating, and he certainly had enough to back that up, but he didn’t. I no longer work for him, but I wish that I did. I would do anything I could to help him if he ever needed it.

This is an excellent example of leading with integrity. This manager could have chided the employee for poor performance, taken a hardline approach, or stated that he didn’t care about personal crises. But he didn’t do any of that. He did what was right, not what was the easiest for him.

Doing what is right is useful not only for your brand, but it’s also good for your business. Leading with purpose and mission inspires others. That leads to engagement among them, which drives results. Do the right thing, even if it causes you more work or means you don’t toe the line. Do you really want to be someone who is comfortable doing the wrong thing?