Part 2 of 3: The Integrity Challenge
How to close the gap between what you profess and what you practice
In Part 1 of this series, we explored how your beliefs serve as your leadership compass, providing clarity in complex decisions through the Three Filters framework. But knowing your compass is just the beginning. The real test comes when you have to follow it into uncharted territory.
Today, we tackle the challenge that trips up most leaders: the gap between what we believe and how we actually lead when pressure mounts.
The Integrity Gap
Here’s where most leaders struggle—and I’ve been there myself. We know what we believe, but when pressure increases, when stakes get higher, when everyone’s watching, we find ourselves making decisions that look nothing like our stated values.
I call this the Integrity Gap—the space between what we profess and what we practice.
The marketplace is littered with leaders who talked about integrity while cutting ethical corners, who preached servant leadership while serving only themselves, who claimed to value people while treating them as disposable assets.
But here’s what I’ve learned: The leaders who successfully bridge this gap don’t just become more ethical—they become more effective. Integrity isn’t just about doing right; it’s about building the kind of trust that creates sustainable success.
Creative Integrity in Action
Let me share a story that beautifully illustrates this principle—one from our own Bethel School community.
One of our recently graduated students was contacted by a company to train their staff for a crucial presentation. They were pitching to a French investor, and here’s the problem: they had told this investor that their team could speak French fluently. Now the investor was coming, expecting a presentation in French, and they couldn’t deliver.
Their solution? They wanted our student—who wasn’t even their employee—to pose as one of their staff members and give the entire presentation on their behalf.
“Just pretend you work for us,” they said. “No one will know the difference.”
But as a Christian, our student knew this violated everything he believed about truth and integrity. The easy path was clear—just go along with the deception. The profitable path was obvious—take the money and run. But his convictions demanded a different approach.
After serious thought and prayer, he came up with a creative alternative.
Instead of deceiving the investor, he divided the presentation into several parts and trained each staff member to present their section effectively in French. The company resisted—they wanted the easy way out. But he held firm: “I’m not your employee, and I won’t pretend to be.”
When presentation day came, something remarkable happened. The French investor was so impressed with what he saw that he said, “I love your leadership approach—empowering your staff by allowing each person to take ownership of their part of the presentation.”
Not only did the company win the investment, but the investor was more impressed than they ever expected. Why? Because the solution that honoured truth and integrity turned out to be more powerful than any deception could have been.
The Power of Creative Constraints
This story teaches us something profound: Constraints often spark creativity. When you refuse to compromise your principles, you’re forced to find better solutions—solutions that often prove more effective than the shortcuts you initially considered.
Our student could have taken the easy, deceptive route. Instead, his integrity constraint forced him to develop a training approach that not only solved the immediate problem but impressed the investor with the company’s leadership philosophy.
This is the paradox of principled leadership: What seems like a limitation often becomes your competitive advantage.
The Alignment Strategy
Here’s how you close the integrity gap systematically:
Step 1: Define Your Non-Negotiables
Write down 3-5 principles that you will never compromise, regardless of cost. These become your leadership constitution. Be specific. Instead of “I value honesty,” write “I will never misrepresent facts, capabilities, or intentions to clients, even if it costs us business.”
Step 2: Create Accountability Systems
Don’t trust yourself to stay aligned when pressure mounts. Build systems—mentors, boards, partners—who will call you back to your values. Share your non-negotiables with them and give them permission to challenge you when they see gaps.
Step 3: Practice Transparent Decision-Making
When facing major decisions, openly share your decision-making process. Say, “Here’s what the numbers suggest, here’s what the market demands, and here’s what my convictions require. Let me show you how I’m weighing these factors.”
This transparency doesn’t make you look weak—it makes you look authentic. And authenticity is magnetic.
Step 4: Prepare for Pressure Points
Identify the situations where you’re most likely to compromise. Is it when cash flow is tight? When competitors are aggressive? When key relationships are at stake? Develop specific strategies for these moments before you’re in them.
Step 5: Celebrate Alignment Wins
When you choose principle over profit, when you pick truth over convenience, acknowledge it. Share these stories with your team. This reinforces the behavior and builds a culture where integrity is valued and expected.
The Long-Term Payoff
Here’s what most leaders miss: The short-term cost of principled decisions often pays long-term dividends that far exceed what you initially gave up.
Our Bethel School graduate could have made quick money from the deception. Instead, his principled approach:
- Built his reputation as a trainer with integrity
- Created a replicable methodology he could use with other clients
- Impressed an investor who might become a future connection
- Strengthened his personal brand as someone who delivers creative solutions
The path of conviction isn’t just the right path—it’s often the most effective path.
Your Integration Challenge This Week
Before Part 3 of this series, I challenge you to do two things:
First: Identify one area where there’s currently a gap between what you believe and how you lead. Be honest. We all have them.
Second: Choose one small step you can take this week to close that gap. Don’t try to fix everything at once. Pick one decision, one conversation, one policy that you can align more closely with your stated values.
What’s Coming Next
In Part 3 of this series, we’ll tackle the biggest objection to faith-driven leadership: “This sounds nice in theory, but the marketplace is brutal. I can’t afford to be principled when I’m fighting for survival.”
I’ll share how a chance meeting in a bar in 2011 led to a partnership worth over 100 million CFA francs—all because faith had taught me to think differently about strength, resilience, and long-term relationship building.
The truth is, faith doesn’t make you weak in the marketplace. It makes you antifragile.
Ready to develop your authentic leadership potential? At Lead from the Heart, we specialise in empowering African executives to become high-performing leaders who lead authentically, purposefully, and with lasting impact. Contact us to learn more about our transformative leadership development programs.
Catch up on the series:
- Part 1: Your Beliefs as Your Leadership Compass
- Part 2: Aligning Actions with Beliefs (you’re here)
- Part 3: Faith-Informed Resilience (coming soon)
