Integrity and Agile make a difference.

Being a coach and scrum master is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  I have worked with many great people, and I had received plenty of support from total strangers when life at the office was painful.  We are a diverse and unruly bunch of misfits who think we can change the business world one project at a time.  The last eleven years since I discovered agile changed me for the better and helped me find a purpose.  We talk about plenty of topics in agile: from servant leadership, being authentic to how to write a good user story. Still, we don’t talk about personal integrity and why it is so essential for the success of the agile reformation.  I want to correct that oversight.  

The author C.S. Lewis said, “Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. “  It is a strange concept in business because we judge people on how they impress their superiors or how much revenue they generate in an amoral world which is concerned about profit; notions like character and integrity get lost in the daily hustle.  

What gets missed in the conversation about business and amorality is that to lead others effectively, business people must have a type of personal integrity that makes others want to follow them.  Leaders do not lead because they have a title or authority.  A person becomes a leader because others connect with them and wish to follow.  The secret sauce to leadership is personal and professional integrity.  

Borrowing from C.S. Lewis, I define integrity as a code of conduct you follow in public and private spheres.  You treat others with respect at the office and home.  Someone with integrity will never ask someone to do something they would not do themselves.  When your staff is working late, you are with them, providing moral support.  It is not an easy way to conduct your life, but it is fulfilling.  

People with integrity win the respect of others and the hatred of those who are lacking.  A person with integrity acts as an example for others to follow.  When they make a promise, they keep it.  Those with integrity move through the world with a quiet poise that others will notice and does not require constant self-promotion.  

Having integrity saves careers.  After a business meeting, select scrum masters in the organization were not performing their duties and billing their hours to the firm.  Within a week, these scofflaws were gone, and the remaining people granted more influence in the organization.  People see who is doing the work and who is skating by on good looks and charm.  When times are tough, people with integrity are those others want around.  

Angela Dugan, the Chief People Officer at Polaris Solutions, said at an after-hours meeting, “Do your job the best you can and let them fire you if they have a problem with that.”  It is a bit of wisdom that has remained with me during my career and the best definition of Integrity I can find in the business.  Imagine if every business person conducted themselves in that manner and how much better it would be.  It is a lofty goal and one I hope others with integrity will pursue with me. 

Until next time.