Running Head: GROUP 3 FORUM 6
Group 3 Forum 6
Adam Russell, David McCready, John Raines, and Kevin Leflore
Liberty University
BMAL 501-B09
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GROUP 3 FORUM 6
Group 3 Forum 6
Integrity
According to Dees (2013) Integrity is “Doing what’s right, legally, and morally”
(p. 81). Integrity is grounded in personal principles and in its highest form; it is the
“seamless integration of faith, family, and profession into a God-honoring life message”
(Dees, 2013, p. 84). Toledo-Pereyra (2006) summarizes the necessity for integrity by
saying “Without integrity… …trust, belief, and understanding would be completely
eliminated and every action would be entirely meaningless” (p. 3). Personal integrity
builds relationships and the faith subordinates place in their leaders. Integrity is so
critical to leadership because of the faith subordinates must place in their leaders.
Integrity is a cornerstone of leadership and organizational management.
Organizational leaders are the standard bearers of their organization. Employees look to
their leaders for what is acceptable and what is expected. A leader’s integrity is a good
indicator of their overall character. Leaders with high integrity gain the respect and trust
of their subordinates (Toledo-Pereyra, 2006, p. 3). Their high integrity in turn encourages
greater integrity in their subordinates and the organizational atmosphere. Organizations
that display a high level of integrity earn the trust of not their employees and their
consumers. Organizations are only as strong as the employees that make them up and the
consumers that use support them. Lack of organizational integrity results in a lack of
quality employees and a lack of consumer support. Both of which kill organizational
success.
For Christians, principles are rooted in the absolute truths of the bible. Proverbs
11:3 (English Standard Version) states “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the
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crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” Christian leaders have the ultimate
example of integrity in the life of Christ. Proverbs 10:9 (English Standard Version) states
“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be
found out.” Security as a leader and an organization comes in the form of integrity.
Wisdom
Wisdom is “integration of advanced cognitive, reflective, and affective
personality characteristics” (Zacher, Pearce, Rooney, & McKenna, 2014, p. 171). Puts
simply, wisdom is good sense. According to Dees (2013), wisdom is the bridge between
character and competence (p. 112). This means character and competence work together
to create balance in actions. Proverbs 4:6 states “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will
protect you; love her, and she will watch over you”. Wisdom provides balance in the
decision-making process and allows leaders to discern the best course of action (Dees,
2013, p. 120). Leaders who seek wisdom naturally develop a deeper hunger for
knowledge.
Wisdom is another critical component to organizational leadership and
management. Wisdom guides organizational leaders in every aspect of their role as a
leader. From decision making to managing personnel, it is wisdom that separates good
leaders from great leaders. It is Wise leaders that make organizations great.
Organizations that possess wisdom look to the long term rather than the short term. Wise
organizations study past experience and use them to refine the organization into a more
successful entity.
Proverbs 3:13-14 (English Standard Version) states “Blessed is the one who finds
wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain
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from silver and her profit better than gold”. Wisdom can buy you anything and give you
anything, whereas gold and silver will never satisfy one’s desires. Wisdom allows us to
gain the experience needed to lead a moral and ethical life.
Key Verse
One of the key verses studied through this class is Colossians 3:23-24b (New
International Version), which states
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for
human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord
as a reward.”
This verse is a simple reminder of the “why” behind Christian action. Christian leaders
must remember that they are serving Christ and their actions reflect him in them.
Christian leaders and Christian organization have integrity because God is watching when
no else is. Their integrity springs forth from Christ in them. When working for the Lord,
wisdom is exercised over that which God has entrusted them with. The work and the
results become personal when one knows God is the reviewer.
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References
Dees, R. F. (2013). Resilient leaders. San Diego: Creative Team Pub.
Nayak, A. (2016). Wisdom and the Tragic Question: Moral Learning and Emotional
Perception in Leadership and Organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 137(1),
1-13. doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2540-5
Toledo-Pereyra, L. H. (2006). integrity. Investigative Surgery, 19(1), 1-3.
10.1080/08941930500542397
Zacher, H., Pearce, L. K., Rooney, D., & McKenna, B. (2014). Leaders' personal wisdom
and leader-member exchange quality: The role of individualized
consideration. Journal of Business Ethics, 121(2), 171-187. 10.1007/s10551-013-
1692-4
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