INTEGRITY

INTEGRITY, LEADERSHIP, & PUBLIC SPEAKING

Did you read the quarter page advertisement on page 4 in the main section of the Straits Times today (Monday, November 28, 2005)?

It is an advertisement for a half-day leadership seminar entitled, “Singapore’s Leadership Crisis.” In it, the advertisement contends that the, “single biggest challenge facing Singapore in 2005 and beyond is the unprecedented lack of personal leadership within our public and private sector organizations.” It goes on to argue, “…we need leaders who can articulate a compelling vision that will truly inspire Singaporeans and mobilize them to achieve their best…”

I do agree that we need visionary leadership—people who, like two leadership gurus James Kouzes and Barry Posner (1995) say, are those who can, “paint the big picture…giving people a clear sense of what the puzzle will look like when everyone has put the pieces in place” (p. 111).

However, we need to take a step back first. While I agree visionary leaders are in short supply, I propose to you that credible leaders, men and women of integrity, are in even shorter supply. Listen to what Kouzes and Posner have to say about integrity: “Leaders without integrity are putting on an act. The believability and credibility so essential for leadership are earned when your behavior is consistent with your beliefs” (p. 340). If leaders are not honest or trustworthy, would you allow them to lead you into a future, however compelling it may be?

So, what does integrity have to do with public speaking? A lot! When you, as a leader, speak in public, people not only hear your words. They also watch your life! Do you live what you espouse? Are your actions in line with your beliefs? Does your “Yes” mean “Yes” and your “No” mean “No”? If you want to be believable…if you want to lead…you need to be a credible person, a man and a woman of integrity.

How do we develop integrity in our lives?

Welcome NP Students!

Hi NP students who are going through the IAC module! I have gone through a number of your Student Assessment 1 answer scripts and found that so many of you wrote that you wanted to develop leadership and public speaking skills during your 3 years in NP! Leadership and public speaking are like two sides of a coin! Leaders must be people of integrity. As public speakers, people will believe our message if we, the messengers, are people of integrity!

Well, since I have an interest in leadership (I am a doctoral student in strategic leadership with 2 more semesters to go before all coursework is completed) and public speaking (have been doing that since 1987--yes, I am an old man!), I thought I would create a blog to address issues related to leadership and public speaking.

My desire is to provide leadership and public speaking pointers on a weekly basis to help you develop your skills. Through this blog, I will also be available to provide whatever help I can in these two areas. Post your questions or comments and I'll get back to you ASAP!

I look forward to interacting with you for the duration of our semester, i.e., until February 2006!

Ronnie Koh