Evaluating Leadership: Beyond Skills to Integrity and Cultural Alignment
- Robin Elledge
- Jul 24
- 1 min read
Recently, a senior executive and an HR leader were unexpectedly exposed in a viral moment during a public event.
The fallout stirred speculation, reputational harm, and raised important questions about discretion and leadership—especially when HR is entrusted with stewarding culture and values.
When hiring or promoting into roles of influence, it’s not enough to assess capabilities. You must evaluate judgment, discretion, and alignment with your values.
Skills alone don’t build trust.
Trust lives in integrity. And integrity shapes how safe teams feel, how culture holds under pressure, and how your company is perceived—inside and out.
💡 Coaching prompt: Invite your leaders to reflect on past hiring decisions:
⁉️ Were there early signals around boundary awareness or ethical decision-making that were ignored?
⁉️ Was there a structured process to assess alignment with cultural expectations?
Encourage interview and onboarding practices that go beyond competencies—add scenario-based questions around conflict of interest, discretion, and values-driven choices.
Bottom line: Recruitment isn’t just about fit—it’s about values and decision-making capacity, especially when people will be entrusted with defining and protecting culture. This ensures your leadership team holds the organization’s reputation and ethical compass steady—even under unexpected pressure.
👉 What would your leadership team reveal if tested in public?
