Henry Cloud, Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality. HarperBusiness, 2009.
Referenced in: Leadership Development Through Character Formation
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
Although not written specifically to ministry settings, Cloud’s message is immensely applicable. He says when we, or the leadership literature, speak of integrity or character, there is the tendency to focus on morals or ethics, not performance, associating it with catastrophes like Enron, etc. Most often this means that character is a “safeguard” against bad things happening, i.e. the people can be trusted not to lie, cheat, steal, etc. Cloud upholds this but goes a step beyond, by suggesting “who a person is will ultimately determine if their brains, talents, comptencies, energy, effort, deal-making abilities, and opportunties will succeed.” As he says, a person with integrity, has the classic sense of “integration,” meaning “that the whole thing is working well, undivided, integrated, intact and uncorrupted.” (31) Such a person has the capacity to pull everything together for maximum impact.
Cloud says there are six dimensions of integrity (described below), each of which is developed in a separate chapter.
From the Publisher
Integrity — more than simple honesty, it’s the key to success. A person with integrity has the ability to pull everything together, to make it all happen no matter how challenging the circumstances. Drawing on experiences from his work, Dr. Henry Cloud, a clinical psychologist, leadership coach, corporate consultant and nationally syndicated radio host, shows how our character can keep us from achieving all we want to (or could) be.
In Integrity, Dr. Cloud explores the six qualities of character that define integrity, and how people with integrity:
- Are able to connect with others and build trust
- Are oriented toward reality
- Finish well
- Embrace the negative
- Are oriented toward increase
- Have an understanding of the transcendent
Integrity is not something that you either have or don’t, but instead is an exciting growth path that all of us can engage in and enjoy.
About the Author
Dr. Henry Cloud is a popular speaker, and co-host, with Dr. John Townsend, of the nationally broadcast New Life Live! Radio program, and cofounder of Cloud-Townsend Clinic and Cloud-Townsend Resources. His bestselling books include the Gold Medallion Award-winning Boundaries books and Making Small Groups Work. Dr. Cloud and his wife and two daughters live in Southern California.
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