February 3, 2010

LQ-Integrity

Jethro's advice to Moses concerning the recruiting of new leaders revolutionized Moses leadership & allowed him to focus on his calling, not on the things that seemed to be urgent at that precise moment. After talent & wisdom, Jethro advises Moses to look for men who are "trustworthy" or "men of truth". I'm calling this integrity.

In order to determine another's integrity, you can't focus purely on talent. Talent easily lends itself to building an image, but integrity is bigger than that. John Maxwell says, "Image is what people think we are. Integrity is what we really are." A committment to integrity is so crucial today in a world where lapses in your integrity seemed to be magnified in the spotlight created by the 21st century world. Leaders have to be fanatical about integrity. It's what give you & your organization credibility with those inside & outside your group. Moses was going to be empowering people to make major decisions that would affect the lives of lots of people in the camp. He had to know that they would make wise & just decisions. He had to know that they were more committed to the truth, especially the truth of God's word, than to the admiration of others.

Integrity is difficult to gauge because it's so easy to disguise. All of us a masters of image management. However, when we lose control of that image & the truth comes out, everyone can see it, & everyone is affected by it. As leaders we must set the example for those we lead by becoming people who live lives characterized by integrity, no facades, no masks, & we must call those we lead to pursue that kind of life as well. As we consistently live out what we say we believe, we move closer & closer to the greatness that God has called His people to.

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