Creating A Healthy Culture in an Organization - A Culture of Integrity

One of most important leadership tip anyone could ever give in relation to creating healthy organizational culture, has to be the need for integrity. Now, this might seem simple enough, and we may well agree with the statement. It is when the rubber hits the road, that I wonder whether people really understand the importance of integrity.

Stories upon stories are heard of corrupt CEO's, abusive authoritarian leaders, a lack or morale because what the leader communicates does not match their actions, and the list goes on.

Most leadership books comment on the importance of depth of character, integrity and a sense of morality/conscience and the effect this has on those you are leading. John C. Maxwell devotes a chapter to integrity in Developing the Leader Within You (1993). He says:

• Integrity builds trust
• Integrity has high influence value
• Integrity facilitates high standards
• Integrity results in a solid reputation, not just image
• Integrity means living it myself before leading others
• Integrity helps a leader be credible, not just clever
• Integrity is a hard-won achievement (p. 35-48).

Why does integrity amongst leaders help create a healthy organizational culture? Firstly, as already noted, trust is built. When the leader says something, you know they will be trustworthy, based on previous experiences. It is demoralizing to not be able to trust a leader, as this becomes an infectious disease within the organization! Secondly, integrity is paramount to this healthy organizational culture, because a leader exemplifies the 'do as I do, not just as I say' kind of rhetoric.

You may not be able to cause someone else to have integrity, but you can cause yourself to have it!

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Creating A Healthy Culture in an Organization - Free Online Leadership Training Module Two

Welcome to our free online leadership training module. This is module number two, and is about creating a healthy culture in an organization.

STOP! You find yourself here because organizational culture can at times be depressing and draining and you're looking for a solution. Well I will outline some leadership tips for you which, I believe, will be helpful and will equip you in improving the culture of your organization (or atleast assist you in understanding what parts of your organizational culture needs work). I write this, not as some hopeful blogger, that wishes to splat more useless information over the already overloaded internet. I write this as someone who serves God as an Officer in The Salvation Army (in the northern parts of Australia), and has managed employees, and empowered volunteers to reach for their best. I completed a Bachelor of Business, and have read a myraid of books related to empowering people and organizational culture, creating excellence and change management. That is not mentioned, to puff up, but rather to offer some context for the following blog and hopefully some credentials to allow you as the reader to read on, and embrace the few elements in this list.


Creating a healthy culture in an organization is vital, if an organization is going to be effective in the long term. We know stories of businesses that have crumbled because of a lack of integrity by the CEO, or a church that has closed because the senior pastor didn't know how to inspire a great culture within their church. How many morning tea times are full of gossip and frustrated employees who wish their business had a better culture? How many emails are sent daily complaining about the ins and outs of the workplace, all because leaders have not developed a great culture in their workplace? How many secret facebook messages do business people send to their friends, during work times, that relate to issues of culture?

Be encourages as you read through this free online leadership training module on "Creating a Healthy Culture in an Organization".

Click here for the first leadership tip for creating that healthy culture.

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