Monkee see, Monkee do? Better make sure your leader is trustworthy.

You wouldn’t think that profound words about honesty and integrity would come from the lips of a 1960’s-era pop star, but Peter Tork of The Monkees summed it up quite well. He said, “You should be a hero to yourself. And if you're not... check it out.” In just these few words reside the entire concept of being honest with oneself and having integrity.

Honesty and integrity are the most important characteristics I hope to find in a leader. More than 88 percent of the population agrees with me, according to a survey conducted by the authors of The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner. After interviewing more than 20,000 workers, they summarized that: “It’s clear that if we’re willing to follow someone — whether it be into battle or into the boardroom, into the classroom or into the back room, into the front office or into the front lines—we first want to assure ourselves that the person is worthy of our trust.”

Honesty and integrity.  Different words with strongly interrelated meanings. Simply put, honesty means making your words fit reality – speaking the truth about the past. Integrity means making reality fit your words – doing what you say you are going to do.  

I could point out lots of examples, especially in the political arena, where honesty or integrity has been doubtful. A former Presidential candidate spoke about the danger she faced during a trip to Bosnia. She said, “I remember landing under sniper fire …we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.” The media coverage of that time, however, clearly showed her and her daughter casually walking and greeting people–not dodging bullets. When her embellishment of the facts came to light, people began to doubt whether or not they could trust her. I believe she ultimately lost her race for the Democratic nomination because of this.

There are many other examples, but I think you get the point.

On the other side of that coin is Peter Tork – a man without a deceitful bone in his body – who continues to be a hero to himself and to others. He is a cancer survivor and recently celebrated his 30th anniversary of being clean and sober. I have never seen him at an event where he wasn’t reaching out to help someone caught in the trap of addiction. His honesty and integrity are boldly apparent and that helps put people at ease around him.

Peter’s a good friend of ours and he’s getting ready to go back out with the The Monkees for an anniversary tour. Next weekend, he’ll be performing with his blues band, Shoe Suede Blues, here in Maryland at Club 66 in Edgewood, Saturday, April 2. We’re holding a special Blues Brunch on Sunday, April 3, noon to 3pm, with Peter and his band – a little casual, hang-out time, an acoustic set or two and special surprises. Join us if you can. Details are on Peter’s Website: www.petertork.com
Meanwhile, take a lesson from this Monkee. Before you follow the leader, make sure he's worth following.