The Silent Cost of Integrity
The Challenge
In a fast-growing company, Claire led a team critical to its expansion. Among her team was Jessica, a loyal, long-time member deeply connected to the company.
As the workload increased, it became clear that Jessica struggled to keep up. Claire recognized Jessica’s potential but also saw that she lacked the relevant experience needed to thrive in the company’s rapidly changing environment.
Claire closely mentored Jessica, encouraging her to embrace challenges and grow in her role. However, as time went on, Jessica preferred the comfortable tasks, taking for granted that her manager would handle the more demanding aspects of the role that she was performing.
The Tipping Point
During a performance evaluation cycle, an administrative mistake led to Jessica discovering her evaluation score earlier than expected.
Claire apologized for that and provided Jessica with honest feedback, acknowledging her strengths while also specifying gaps in her performance. Ultimately, Claire rated Jessica’s performance as average.
Jessica reacted angrily, stating she hadn’t got any signs of average performance and believed the praise for specific tasks reflected strong overall performance. However, both she and Claire knew she struggled with independent tasks, avoided challenges, missed meetings, and rarely contributed new ideas.
The Leadership Dilemma
Claire saw the need for a solution: bringing in someone more experienced to take on crucial tasks while giving Jessica the opportunity to focus on her strengths in a different role. However, despite reasoning with the idea of bringing someone in, she resisted letting go of the responsibilities.
This resistance created a new leadership dilemma: How could a new hire succeed without clear authority or defined responsibilities?
The Breaking Point
As tensions grew, Claire sought advice and support from Robert, the new General Manager and her manager, emphasising the urgency for addressing the proposed solution.
In the months that followed, small issues were escalated, and Jessica’s ego and resentment were fueled by Robert’s passive stance.
Throughout this, Claire’s judgment was profoundly underestimated, and she was shocked when one day her manager told her to “choose her battles.”
In the end, Robert chose to side with Jessica—not because it was the right decision, but because it was the easier route. It seemed his personal agenda may have influenced his choice, leaving doubt about his true motivations.
That’s when Claire knew this wasn’t about Jessica anymore—it was about a lack of integrity from leadership.
So, Claire walked out.
The Key Messages
Leadership is About Integrity: True leadership means doing what’s right, even when it’s uncomfortable. Integrity should guide every decision, from supporting your team to addressing difficult situations.
Clear Roles Are Crucial: When roles and responsibilities are unclear, chaos follows. Leaders must establish clear expectations, ensure accountability, and define boundaries.
Separate Personal and Professional matters: Mixing them leads to biased decisions that weaken company culture. Leaders must maintain professionalism and act in the organization’s best interest.
Know When to Walk Away: Leadership isn’t about fighting every battle. When you’re not being appreciated or your voice is ignored sometimes the best choice is to protect your integrity and walk away from a toxic situation.
Conclusion
Quote of the Story: “Integrity is the choice between what’s convenient and what’s right.” — Tony Dungy