It sounds ridiculous, right?

Imagine walking into McDonalds with a group of people in evening gowns and tuxedos.

It’s about the same thing as walking into court in pajamas. Clearly, you’re not dressed for the occasion.

Your dress tells us a lot about your attitude toward the day.

Sweatclothes says “this is relaxed” and suits, dresses, and uniforms say “this is important.”

Much like how you dress for the occasion, your mind is dressed for the occasion, too.

At times, your mind is wearing pajamas. It’s relaxed, indifferent to what happens, and takes a casual approach to the day.

Other times, Your mind is dressed in a tuxedo. It’s in high gear, ready to approach the next task, and willing to put it’s best foot forward.

Think about it. Do you wear a tuxedo or evening gown with disheveled hair, unbrushed teeth, a dirty face, and tattered sneakers? No. You go out of our way on special occasions to make yourself look your best.

The question I have for you is: how often does your mind wear a tuxedo?

How often are you taking a formal approach to your leadership? How often are you preparing your mind for getting the most out of your day?

You might not wear a tuxedo to McDonalds. But, if your mind was wearing one, you might not make the same order as you would if you showed up in your mental pajamas.

I met her at a job interview.

Her eyes bugged out of her head, and her smile was obnoxiously wide.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so excited to meet you! Please have a seat.”

My fake detector was reading off the charts.

“I just love my job so much!” she said.

“Every day is a good day here!”

I couldn’t understand why she was so offensively nice. Creepy nice. The niceness that, instead of putting me at ease, made me want to run away before I got stabbed.

Did she have a medical condition? Was she manic?

Then, she told me everything I needed to know:

“It’s a lot of work here. We always stay busy. But, I drink 4 tall coffees a day, and it prepares me to give the best customer service!”

Then she asked me why I seemed nervous.

I was nervous because I wasn’t talking to a human.

I was talking to the coffee.

Somewhere along the line, she sold her soul to the brew. Bursts of caffeine-fueled hyperactivity replaced genuine niceness. The result was a massively fake energy.

Coffee is not a substitute for the energy required to make real connections with people.

You can’t fake being a nice person and get away with it. Sooner or later, people will be on to you.

As Jim Rohn said:

“Be careful what you become in pursuit of what you want.”

Note: This article is an excerpt from the “Stocking Your Leadership Super-Powers” book. Enter your info in the sidebar and I’ll send you the e-book free of charge.

Consistency in your thoughts, words, and actions makes up your integrity.

When you are consistent, you have control over what you can expect from yourself, and prevent yourself from making errors in judgment.

Also, consistency shows others that you are committed to your purpose and vision, and that you are congruent in what you say and do.

If you say you value something, yet your actions tell a different story, people will hone in on the inconsistencies and your integrity will weaken.

The Highly Sought Super-Power

Integrity is one of the most highly sought leadership super-powers in part because it takes time to develop and mature.

You want to be consistent and reliable in your actions and other leadership super-powers because it gives proof to people that you walk the walk and talk the talk.

When you’re consistent and reliable, people trust you more.

One of my closest friends worked as a cook.

She made it to work on time every day, prepared each meal to the way it was ordered, and made sure that she developed strong relationships with other people by always treating them with kindness and respect.

She had never missed a day of work in all her time at the restaurant.

It’s no surprise that she was one of the most valuable employees. She consistently performed what was asked of her, so she had a tremendous amount of integrity for herself, and it showed to the people she worked with. It wasn’t hard to trust her judgment, because she was reliable.

On the other hand, countless new cooks came in time after time, 15 to 20 minutes late every Monday, calling off sick three to five times a month, and cooking the food in a wide range of quality from near perfect to near uneatable.

It’s no surprise that these cooks had little respect from the rest of the kitchen staff, and management was constantly looking for that perfect excuse to fire them.

If you want to be trusted, liked, and appreciated for your value, you have much better chances for success if you are consistent in your thoughts, words, and actions.

Show them you are the real deal.

Super Integrity Building Activity:

How are you being consistent in your values and actions?

Where might others see inconsistencies?

Answer the following questions about integrity:

Question #1: How are you consistent in your relationships with others? In what ways might people perceive inconsistencies?

Question #2: How are you consistent in your career performance or pursuits? In what ways might people perceive inconsistencies?

Question #3: How are you consistent in your financial performance? In what ways might people perceive inconsistencies?

Question #4: How are you consistent in the way you approach living a healthy lifestyle? In what ways might people perceive inconsistencies?

Question #5: How are you consistent in your pursuit of lifelong education? In what ways might people perceive inconsistencies?

Question #6: How are you consistent in your pursuit of spirituality? In what ways might people perceive inconsistencies?