Action - Integrity = Distrust

Andrew was your prototypical type-A personality.  He was a very hard driver who wasn’t afraid to take on hard tasks, work until midnight, and produce a finished product ahead of schedule.  Andrew took great pride in his ability to deliver results and expected to be well-rewarded for his work. 

The team leader in Andrew’s organization was transferred to another organization and Barb, the organization’s director, took on the task to find a new team leader.  Andrew was very excited to interview for the position and felt that with his history of delivering results he was a shoo-in for the job.  Andrew went through the interview process along with two other candidates.  After the interviews were complete, Barb announced Alice, one of Andrew’s peers, as the new team leader.  Andrew’s heart sank at the news and he couldn’t believe that Alice was chosen over him given his track record. 

After a few days passed, Andrew asked Barb if they could grab a cup of coffee and talk about Barb’s decision to hire Alice over Andrew.  Barb agreed and the two went out for coffee.  “Barb, I just don’t understand why I wasn’t chosen for the position,” Andrew said.  “I deliver better than anyone on the team and am your top performer; why didn’t I get the job?”  “I’m glad you asked, Andrew,” Barb started.  “You work incredibly hard and make a tremendous effort, but I’m not comfortable that you can lead a team effectively yet.  You appear to take a ‘What’s best for Andrew’ approach to your work and I don’t feel comfortable that you will consistently lead with the interests of the organization in mind.  The motivations under which you operate cause other team members to question your integrity, which is a fundamental requirement for any leader, regardless of how action-oriented he or she is.  You need to work on this issue before you’re entrusted with a team, Andrew; I hope you’re able to address this and become a strong leader in the future.”  Andrew couldn’t help but do some serious introspection on his motives and made a commitment to address any question about his integrity. 

How should Andrew have handled things differently?  See how in Why Don't They Follow Me?