Integrity and Courage: Keys to leadership

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Craig Theisen
  • 570th Global Mobility Readiness Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  "Men of integrity, by their very existence, rekindle the belief that as a people we can live above the level of moral squalor. We need that belief; a cynical community is a corrupt community." - John W. Gardner, former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare 

"It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends" - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling 

In the many articles and books I have read on leadership in my military career, two key strengths are consistently defined as foundational for leaders. Integrity and courage. 

Focusing on just two strengths may seem to oversimplify all of the components essential to effective leadership. However, just as the New Testament distills God's laws from 613 Mosaic laws down to a simplistic-sounding "Love God and love your neighbor as yourself," the reduction of the many leadership principles down to two essential strengths is deceptive in its simplicity. 

For example, knowing your job is definitely a leadership trait, but isn't that really part of integrity? Empathy is sometimes considered an additional requirement to the integrity/courage equation, but empathy is an amalgam of integrity and courage-the integrity to recognize another's position, and the courage to open oneself to that position and adapt to it. 

Integrity is the first Air Force core competency and it is number one for leaders and aspiring leaders as well. We put "first" after "integrity" because everything we do requires integrity. Whether or not a leader has integrity is more difficult than determining the truth of his or her statements. A leader's integrity is tested when he or she is faced with the unpleasant and time-consuming task of disciplining an Airman and that leader chooses to fulfill their duty. A leader's integrity is evident in the conscientious writing of Officer Performance Reports and Enlisted Performance reports and when they recommend (or don't) members for decorations. A leader's integrity shows positively when their Airmen feel every member will be judged based on their contributions rather than their popularity. One hundred percent integrity across the organization allows it to move and react extremely quickly. If your Airmen have to stop and consider your integrity, you have created an environment where cynicism, distrust and the need to verify will slow every process to a crawl. 

Linking courage with military leadership may seem redundant, but courage is more than charging headlong into battle. Many bad leadership decisions stem from a lack of courage. Subordinates are acutely aware of whether a leader makes decisions based on confidence in the mission, themselves and their team or whether they are made based on a fear of failure. Decisions made in anger are almost always poor decisions, and anger is often an outgrowth of a leader's fears. Fearless leaders are like the alpha dog in a pack - calm and totally in control of themselves and their team because they are operating from a position of total confidence. When a member of the team is out of line, the alpha dog warns, then applies only as much punishment as is necessary to ensure compliance. 

Scared leaders create scared followers, because like "fear biter" dogs they snap at anything that startles them or appears out of the ordinary. When a follower has no expectation of a leader's confidence and is accustomed to being snapped at for minor or seemingly random transgressions, they lose their confidence to act with courage and to work with creativity and vision. 

Total integrity and courage will always lead you to the right decisions as a leader. Integrity gives you the moral, legal and intellectual foundation for all you do and allows your unit to move and react fluidly. However, total integrity also requires you to check your courage when that integrity bumps up against the popular or the easy route. Be brave and true or get out of the way!