Transparency in Leadership

Tom Castellanos, president and CEO of East Coast Metals, Inc., has worked for years to build his organization through targeted, effective business leadership. As such, he has developed a strong understanding of the kind of business leadership that can successfully grow an enterprise.

Castellanos highlights the importance of leaders following through with the corporate values and procedures that they have put into place. Many individuals have doubts regarding the sincerity of leaders when it comes to doing what they say they will. Leaders may talk about strong corporate values, but some were quick to bypass them in the interest of the bottom line.

Less than 1 in 5 people believe business leaders will actually tell the truth when confronted with a difficult issue.

"What good is a business leader of they don't have the trust of their employees?" asks Castellanos. "How can clients trust a company if its own employees are not certain in the capabilities and integrity of their leader?

To me, strong business leadership is more than just making sure that things run smoothly; leaders are examples to the professionals who staff their organizations. As such, it is crucial that they act according to the values that they have set so that their employees will see how much stock is put into these ideas.

But the importance of acting with integrity goes beyond that. Leaders are tasked with building a brand that is trusted by clients and employees. Without a certain level of trust, neither are going to buy into the company's ideas or support it to the extent necessary for the organization to truly flourish."