“Integrity is choosing courage over comfort.” — Brené Brown
Hey there Reader,
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about integrity. It’s one of those words we use all the time in leadership.
We put it on company walls.
We include it in value statements.
We talk about it at retreats and town halls.
But I think the real question is:
What does integrity look like when living your values becomes uncomfortable?
Because it’s easy to say what we believe when everyone in the room agrees with us.
It’s easy to talk about belonging when no one is challenging our definition of who belongs.
It’s easy to say we value people when treating everyone with the same care, attention, dignity, and respect doesn’t require anything difficult from us.
The test comes when things get messy. And right now, we are living in a pretty messy world.
We’re polarized. We’re quick to put people into categories. We’re surrounded by messages telling us who is right, who is wrong, who is “one of us,” and who isn’t.
Which makes me believe that how we lead in this moment matters more than ever.
Your values are verbs.
I recently had the opportunity to join my friend Tricia Brouk on The Big Talk Podcast for a conversation called “How to Lead with Integrity in a Polarized World.”
One of the things we talked about was something I believe deeply:
Values mean very little without behaviors to back them up.
You can say you value belonging.
But do people feel welcomed when they enter your space?
You can say you value respect.
But does that respect extend to someone whose perspective is very different from yours?
You can say people matter.
But do your actions communicate that every person deserves equal care and attention?
That’s where leadership gets real.
Maybe we need more rebel leaders.
We also talked about what it means to be a rebel leader.
And no, I don't mean being rebellious just for the sake of disrupting things.
I mean being willing to question the norms we've accepted simply because that's the way we've always done it.
Sometimes leadership requires us to look around and ask:
Is this actually who we want to be?
Does this behavior reflect what we say we believe?
Who isn't experiencing the belonging we claim to have created?
And maybe the most important one:
Am I willing to do something about it?
That kind of leadership takes courage.
But I believe it's exactly the kind we need right now.
This week's reflection: Before you move on with your day, think about one value you say matters deeply to you.
Then ask yourself: If someone couldn't hear my words and could only observe my behavior, would they know this was one of my values?
That's a question I'm continuing to ask myself, too.
And if this conversation resonates with you, I’d love for you to listen to my conversation with Tricia.
🎧 Listen to “How to Lead with Integrity in a Polarized World” on The Big Talk Podcast. https://triciabrouk.com/how-to-lead-with-integrity-in-a-polarized-world-with-maria-delorenzis-reyes/
We talk about belonging as hospitality, what it means to be a rebel leader, and why our actions—not our statements—ultimately reveal what we value.
I hope it gives you something to think about. And maybe even something to do differently.
All the love,
Maria
P.S. If someone came to mind while you were reading this, send this newsletter or the episode their way. Sometimes one conversation is all it takes to get another important conversation started.