INTEGRITY

The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality

review by

Larry Shallenberger

INTEGRITY: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality

by Dr. Henry Cloud

(HarperCollins)

Reader Appeal: Adults 

Genre: Self Help/ Leadership/ Business

“Everyone leaves a wake has he or she moves through time”, so says Dr. Henry Cloud in his latest offering Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality. A boat cutting through a lake leaves twins plumes of water. According to Cloud, we cut two swaths behind us as we travel through time: people and relationships.

Dr. Cloud suggests us that our legacy is defined by our personal wake. How is the quality of our relationships—in our families and in our business? And what is the quality (and quantity) of the tasks we’ve accomplished?

According to Cloud, the quality of an individual’s personal wake is mostly determined by his or her character and integrity. Cloud identifies six character traits that contribute to integrity: 1) the ability to make connection with others and to build trust; 2) an orientation toward reality; 3) the ability to finish well; 4) embracing the negative; 5) an orientation toward “increase” (growth); and 6) having an understanding of the transcendent.

For Cloud, truth telling is just the start of being a person of integrity. He makes the assertion that integrity is an internal drive that compels a leader to rise to the occasion. Using experiences from his consulting practices, Cloud gives poignant examples that illustrate each of his points. And Cloud challenges the notion that by the time we are adults that our character is permanently cemented. He likens our character to a house. Yes, the foundation has been laid, but with commitment and drive we can tear down the “rooms” of our personhood and rebuild a better version of ourselves.

File Integrity in the quickly growing branch of leadership literature that emphasizes the heart of the leader. Like these other volumes, Integrity reminds us that all leadership exploits begin with quality of the leader. It’s when we attempt to outdistance the strength of our personhood that we seem to get in trouble.

Cloud gives cautionary tales as well as stories of leaders who understand the primary of personal excellence. Section 7’s assertion that people of integrity bow to the transcendent points the reader to acknowledge that success comes from “the fear of the Lord”, even though Cloud uses business instead of Biblical vernacular.

If there’s a weakness to the book it is that the field of values-based literature is becoming quickly crowded. And a result this one felt derivative. Section 2: “Establishing Trust” felt like a summary of 7 Habits… or Emotional Intelligence. Sections 3, 4, and 5 (regarding embracing reality and getting results) echoed the themes of Execution and The Oz Principle. And sections 6 and 7 were overly reminiscent of Good to Great. I was disappointed that Integrity didn’t break any new ground of its own.

Still, even though Integrity doesn’t advance the field of value-based leadership, it’s a worthy volume. Cloud’s spritely writing style and emotional examples make this one worth reading. Cloud’s Christian faith provides a foundation that makes the book equally valuable for use the in the marketplace or in the church.

FAMILYFANS RATING: B-

--LS