Lead with Integrity

One of my favorite professors in college was presidential historian Robert Dallek, whom I was lucky to study with twice. In his classes, he offered a simple idea with complicated consequences: leadership is a test of character. Titles and trends fade; what endures is whether your actions match your values when it costs you something. Leading with integrity isn’t about being flawless. It’s the steady habit of taking responsibility, aligning conduct with conviction, and choosing the right thing, especially under pressure.

As I reflected on what I learned, I began brainstorming examples. Initially, I came up with about six or seven different ideas…before I finally landed on three.

Let’s start with Tony Stark, the fictional billionaire engineer who became Iron Man and the head of Stark Industries, a weapons manufacturer. He is not universally well-liked. He's impulsive, arrogant, often snarky, and at times self-destructive, the kind of leader who can burn bridges even as he changes the world through innovation. He built his wealth on weapons systems, but reality intrudes when he learns they are not being used for good. Confronted with the human consequences of his inventions, Stark does not deflect or deny. He changes. He closes the division that made him famous, rebuilds his purpose through the Avengers, and accepts accountability in public. We know Iron Man is not perfect, his ego still gets in the way, but he regularly chooses responsibility over reputation and accountability over excuses. For Tony Stark, integrity looks like accepting responsibility for your mistakes and doing the work to make it better.

Now let’s think about Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, a book many of you chose for summer reading. Unlike Stark who embraced his fame, Katniss is a reluctant hero. Her integrity begins with loyalty: a personal commitment to protect the people she loves. Her defining act isn’t a speech but the choices she makes — she volunteers as tribute to save her sister. Inside an arena engineered to reward cruelty, she keeps choosing compassion and protection: honoring Rue, protecting Peeta, and refusing to let the rules dictate her humanity. She doesn’t seek the spotlight; she puts herself on the line for others and safeguards their dignity. For Katniss, integrity looks like moral courage rooted in loyalty.

Then there’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice and pioneering advocate for gender equality. She led with her rigorous reasoning and the consistency of her values. Some of her most influential contributions came in dissent- standing up for those who sought equality but lost their case. She modeled principled patience: she spoke clearly, stood firm, and trusted that well-made arguments can bend the arc of justice over time. For Justice Ginsburg, integrity looked like principled persistence—fidelity to equality and the law, even when standing alone.

Three different leaders, three different contexts, one throughline: integrity is the practice of aligning what you do with what you say you believe, especially when it’s hard. This year, we will meet our own tests: admitting a mistake, backing a teammate, telling a hard truth, and resisting an easy shortcut.

To do this, you won’t need a suit of armor, a Mockingjay pin, or a dissent collar. All you’ll need is your compass.

In Professor Dallek’s class, I learned that history rarely remembers the easy moments. How you are remembered is built in the difficult ones. When your moment comes, ask: Which choice reflects who I truly am? Choose that one. Because that’s how you lead with integrity.