Whether at lower or higher levels, leadership in business undergoes turnover approximately every eight to ten years. A great leader is always engaged in identifying and preparing someone to take their place. The legacy of some exceptional managers has been tarnished because their unprepared successors failed to maintain the same standards. These managers, who were not true leaders, neglected to prepare their successors for the role.

The value of integrity in a leader cannot be overstated and “leaders” without integrity are – honestly – not leaders. Integrity is an inner strength. It is that moral compass we all possess but sometimes ignore.

So, why is it so important for a leader to have integrity?

There are some interesting facts about great leaders. Some are simply born with it. Yes, they likely honed some of the skills that made them great leaders but occasionally there are naturally gifted leaders whom people like to follow. On the other hand, some leaders worked for years to hone their skills and develop the knowledge and skills that would lead others to follow them.

Either way, to be a leader, one must have followers. Just standing on a platform and shouting “Follow me for we shall slay dragons!” doesn’t encourage many people to follow - unless the shouter has a certain set of traits.

Whether in our personal or professional lives, few things are as important as trust. When employees trust their managers, peers, and reports, they are more likely to be productive and have a positive attitude and outlook regarding their employment and employer.

Great leaders use communication to share information and to inspire. They inspire people to perform, to dream, to create, and to buy in to an organization’s common vision, mission, and core values.

I have heard it said many times that the greatest asset of any company is its employees. I agree, but I don’t think that statement alone tells the whole story. Let me explain.

Successful companies have a positive public perception, commonly called a “good reputation.” People believe either in the company as a whole or, at least, in its products. So why do companies like Buc-ee’s, GoDaddy, Adobe Software, and Gravity Payments, have such a positive public perception? They focus on their people more than their products. The rest takes care of itself.

As a leader, are you defining the values of the company and instilling those values in the people? Are you teaching them to care about and focus on the right things? Company and individual values do not define how work gets done, but it determines where one should focus their attention and to some degree it determines the order of work. Great leaders understand and define the company’s values, they instill those values in the workforce, which translates to growth in the value of the company and its products.

Great leaders do not change things just to do it differently, or to “put their stamp” on a process. Leaders innovate to make it better for the company and the people they lead. I have seen many new CEOs take over a company and start changing things without ever understanding what they were changing or why it was done that way in the first place. That is simply change for the sake of change. It accomplishes nothing and often does more harm than good.