Aimee B. Davis Law P.C.

The Importance of Maintaining Integrity

{3:12 minutes to read}

For over 10 years, I’ve had the privilege of knowing and being mentored by Debra Forman, a certified executive coach and the founder of Pinstripe Coaching, which specializes in consulting to lawyers and law firms.

Debra’s recent video blog entitled “After It Rains, Episode 23: Your Integrity” resonated with me because I’ve been thinking about the importance of acting with empathy. In order to explore the relationship between empathy and integrity, Debra agreed to be interviewed:

Debra, you introduce this subject with a powerful statement that I agree with 100%:

“You always want to promote a culture of integrity at your firm, full stop.”

One of many things I respect about you is your ability to distill complex matters into simple, practical, yet meaningful steps to be taken by your clients and others. For those keen to conduct themselves with integrity, you advise:

  • Always pause before acting (see “Think Before You Email“);
  • Exercise self-restraint and control;
  • Have a cooling-off period;
  • Be careful about making assumptions;
  • Refrain from being reactive, judgmental and ill-informed.

What does acting with integrity mean to you and why is it so important?

“Each person is responsible for maintaining their own integrity. The key is learning how to self-regulate. When you learn how to take a pause, it creates a perception of self-control, balance, fairness and empathy. You’re only as good as your reputation and personal brand, and you want your integrity to display your trustworthiness.”

I’d like to hear your thoughts on the intersection between integrity and empathy.

“To promote a culture of integrity, people within an organization should be thoughtful of others. To empathize is to acknowledge a situation from another’s perspective, enabling you to help lift others up. Acting with empathy is one way to demonstrate integrity.”

Why are ad hominem arguments (a/k/a bullying) considered poor form and a weak way of communicating?

“By acting with restraint, you can evaluate situations from a position of strength. When you lead with a culture of integrity and stay anchored in core values, you can successfully LEAD others. People get into trouble when they are reactive because their positions are not well thought-out. Acting defensively and creating an environment where everyone is afraid of what will happen next, leads to a culture of fear. If you want to be successful and communicate well with your clients, you need to learn to do so in a way that makes people listen and respond positively. We all need to remember to keep raising the bar in our communications, intentions and actions.”

Aimee B. Davis Law P.C. is committed to advising its clients and resolving issues relating to the legal and business matters that are important to them. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at (917) 617-2243 or email aimee@aimeebdavis.com.

 

Aimee B. Davis

Aimee B. Davis Law P.C.

917-617-2243
122 Ashland Place
Brooklyn, NY 11201