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5 Steps to Rebuild the Road of Integrity

By Chris Goede | February 5, 2025
5 Steps to Rebuild the Road of Integrity

We’ve all struggled with disappointments, setbacks, and failure in the workplace. I’m sure if I were to offer an anonymous tip line, it would be filled with messages from people who have experienced a personal failure, as well as details about how it impacted them at work.

Rebuilding a reputation and leading with integrity is possible in our professional lives, even after what feels like a significant failure. We just have to be intentional in how we rebuild. And that starts with first acknowledging that failure is an event, it’s not a person. Our actions may be part of our story, but they don’t define who you are.

Next, I think we start with five building blocks that begin to make the road to integrity possible.

5 Steps to Regain Integrity in Leadership

1. TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY.

We have to first acknowledge and take responsibility for our actions. Admit your wrongdoing and the consequences others suffered because of it, and apologize for it. Explain it, but don’t excuse it. A lot of times people are afraid to admit their mistakes. But the thing is, most everyone else knows them anyway. They just want to know if you’re aware of them.

2. PRACTICE SELF-REFLECTION.

Where did the problem occur? Why did it happen? What are the triggers that led to the failure? It’s important to become aware of the things that can throw you off course so you can do your best to eliminate those circumstances the next time you’re faced with a similar situation. We want to make sure our actions are in alignment with our personal values.

3. ESTABLISH GUARDRAILS. 

We want to ensure we never put ourselves in sketchy situations that could lead to a failure, so what are the fences that can be put up? Where do you need to draw lines? Guardrails aren’t right on the edge of roads…they’re set back just enough to keep you from going off the road. What are the levels of accountability you can enable around you to protect you from the triggers you’ve previously identified?

4. BE CONSISTENT.

Integrity is built from consistent actions over time based on your values. Doing the right things day after day, week after week, is what John Maxwell calls “consistency compounding,” and that will begin to rebuild the road back to integrity.

5. BUILD AN INNER CIRCLE.

Not only is it important to take accountability when we experience failure, it’s important to BUILD accountability to help keep us from it happening again. Find 3-5 people you trust, whose character is high and you trust to ask you hard questions. These are people that will ask you the questions you don’t want them to ask, but in doing so, hold you to a higher level of expectation and responsibility for your own sake.

Remember… failure is an event, it’s not a person. As leaders, we all make mistakes. No one expects you to be perfect, and none of us are perfect.

But people do expect you to be honest. If you’re transparent, if you’re vulnerable, if you go through the steps in this process, your team will forgive you.

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