Integrity as the foundation of respect in professional leadership

¶ … Respect

Colloquial Concepts of Respect

Respect is one of the phrases most-often referred to in connection with personal attributes and leadership qualities and capabilities. There are various misconceptions about exactly what it means to "command the respect" of others. In the most general sense, respect is a reaction to any accomplishment or achievement that is the product of hard work or ingenuity (Kinicki & Williams, 2005). However, in terms of professional and personal leadership, respect may have a much narrower definition.

Likewise, it is widely repeated that respect is earned, but in several ways, that element of respect is also widely misunderstood. For example, one way that respect of others is commonly understood to be earned is by virtue of measurable or quantifiable achievements: in that regard, one might be said to respect a business mogul for his financial acumen or foresight. For another example, respect is often said to earned by reciprocity, such as where one presumably earns the respect of others by first demonstrating respect for others. Without minimizing the value of knowledge, skills, and achievements, and without contradicting the importance of mutual respect for others in the colloquial sense (Harari, 2002), respect (particularly in the context of professional leadership and management) is much more a concept of objective principle than of personal abilities, achievements, or even interpersonal relationship style.

The Essential Role of Integrity in Relation to Respect

In principle, integrity is a prerequisite to the entitlement to the respect of others. Integrity refers to the commitment of an individual to do what is right and just even in the face of opportunities to benefit personally from pursuing what is personally beneficial instead. At its core, integrity means making decisions and arguing for positions on the basis of objective principles and adhering to those principles even when their implementation is contrary to our personal interests. In that regard, the current political debates in connection with healthcare and stimulus funding in particular demonstrate that management and law degrees and high levels of professional achievements do not entitle one to respect where one misuses the authority of elected positions to benefit one's personal or partisan political interests at the expense of others.