Few will be surprised to learn that the winning I-word is integrity. I didn’t choose ethical for the winning E-word or honesty for the winning H-word, because I knew I would choose integrity for the winning I-word. The first winning entry came from Trevor Scott. Well done, Trevor. I’ll mail your signed copy of Why It Matters to you on Friday; the Post Office will be closed tomorrow.
Inclusive and intelligent are also worthy contenders for the winning I-word. However, leaders who met with my leadership class, leaders interviewed in LeadershipWWEB[i], and leaders quoted in numerous leadership books place integrity at the top of their list of attributes they look for in people they hire and in leaders they admire.
In Why It Matters, I say, “Mike Duke told the students that character and integrity should be in everything they do. He also reminded them that, when it comes to integrity, leaders will be judged by their worst days, not their best or average days. Lofgren reminded them, “There is no right way to do the wrong thing.” I also included a quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower, “The supreme quality of leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” And I point out that Warren Bennis, in On Becoming a Leader, identifies integrity as a leader’s most important characteristic. He emphasizes the need for leaders to repeatedly demonstrate their integrity. Noting that too many leaders fail to recognize that they are being watched all of the time, he writes, “They forgot that something’s being legal doesn’t mean it’s right.” Bennis also notes, “Leadership is always about character.” He observes that every leader possesses one or more of the following ingredients: “a guiding vision, passion, integrity, curiosity, and daring.” He also identifies three essential requirements for integrity: “self-knowledge, candor, and maturity.”[ii]
Despite the current disdain for the word inclusive, exemplary leaders know that strong teams include people who aren’t clones of one another. General Marty Steele, Admiral Jack Buffington, Admiral Mike Johnson, Motorola Solutions’ CEO Greg Brown, J. B. Hunt’s CEO Shelley Simpson, Schneider National’s former CEO Chris Lofgren, Tyson Foods’ former CEO Donnie Smith, Walmart’s former CEO Mike Duke, and Mary Pat McCarthy, retired vice-chair of KPMG LLP, among other leaders who met with my leadership class emphasized the importance of leaders being inclusive in forming their teams.
Exemplary leaders are intelligent. Seldom (and hopefully never) will they be the smartest people in the room, but they can’t be dumb. Many years ago, I heard a luncheon speaker describe people as either smart or dumb and either lazy or energetic. He said the best combination is someone who is smart and energetic. If they are dumb and lazy, you don’t have to worry about them damaging the organization, but if they are dumb and energetic, look out! If they are smart and lazy, you’ll have to light a fire under them. Smart trumps dumb, but EQ trumps IQ.
Clearly, there are other I-words that are included in attributes of exemplary leaders. Being intentional, inspiring, impartial, insightful, imaginative, and inquisitive come to mind. But I believe having integrity, and being inclusive and intelligent, are in a separate class from other I-words. I’ll admit it wasn’t easy to exclude imaginative from the set of runner-up I-words. Exemplary leaders need to be able to imagine an organization that is much better than the current organization; otherwise, they won’t instill hope in members of the team. (I’ll have more to say about imagination with another letter in the alphabet!)
As with all winning words in the Alphabet Game, my selections are influenced by my leadership journey. As Antonio says in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, “What’s past is prologue.”[iii] Also, Miles’ Law plays a role: “Where you stand depends on where you sit.”[iv]
With tomorrow being Thanksgiving Day, please know that you are among the people for whom I’m most thankful. In my more than four-score years, I’ve been blessed to have met, taught, and worked with thousands of people, many of whom are connected with me on LinkedIn. Thank you for the impact you’ve had on my life. All the best in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. You are what makes my world go round.
Next: Leadership ABCs—J
Rules for the game to receive a signed copy of Why It Matters: 1) limited to U.S.A. mailing addresses; 2) limited to a single selection for the word; 3) cannot submit entry sooner than one week before the blog is posted on LinkedIn; 4) be the first correct entry I receive; and 5) send entries to me at johnaustinwhitejr@gmail.com. The earliest you can submit your J-word entry is 12:00 am, EDT, December 3, 2025; the latest time is 12:00 am, EDT, December 10, 2025.
[i] See https://soundcloud.com/user-561194034.
[ii] John A. White, Why It Matters: Reflections on Practical Leadership, Greenleaf Book Group Press, Austin, TX, 2022, pp. 36-37.
[iii] William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 2, Scene1, Line 255.
[iv] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_Miles.
