One Small Step, One Giant Leap: The Power of Integrity in the Pursuit of Winning
- Russ Powell
- Mar 9, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 25
On winning, integrity, and the discipline of holding both
In July of 1969, millions of people around the world watched as Neil Armstrong took his first step onto the surface of the moon.
It was a breathtaking technological achievement. But it wasn’t just a triumph of engineering. It was the result of thousands of people, over many years, making careful, disciplined, ethical choices under extraordinary pressure.
Deadlines were brutal. The stakes were existential. The political and reputational pressure was immense.
And yet, again and again, NASA leaders chose rigor over shortcuts, transparency over spin, and safety over speed.
They were committed to winning.They were equally committed to how they won.
That combination is less common than we'd like to admit.
The False Choice Many Leaders Feel
In my work with leaders, I hear some version of this tension all the time:
“If we slow down, we’ll lose momentum.”
“If we’re too cautious, competitors will eat our lunch.”
“If we push back on this, we’ll miss the quarter.”
Beneath these concerns is a quiet assumption:
At some point, I’ll have to choose between winning and integrity.
Between results and values.
Between speed and care.
Between ambition and responsibility.
It feels like a tradeoff.
But it usually isn’t.
What it actually is, more often, is a failure of integration.
What Happens When Winning Crowds Out Integrity
We’ve seen what happens when “winning” becomes detached from ethics.
Volkswagen installed software to cheat emissions tests, damaging its reputation and costing billions.
Theranos built a narrative of revolutionary success while quietly abandoning scientific standards—ultimately collapsing under legal and moral scrutiny.
In both cases, leaders didn’t wake up intending to commit fraud.
They slowly normalized small compromises in the name of performance, image, and momentum.
One shortcut at a time.
What Integration Looks Like in Practice
Now contrast that with companies like Patagonia.
Patagonia has repeatedly chosen environmental responsibility over short-term profit—sometimes even encouraging customers to buy less.
And yet, it remains one of the most admired and financially successful brands in its industry.
Why?
Because integrity isn’t a drag on performance.
It’s a long-term performance strategy.
When leaders integrate results and values, trust compounds. Talent stays. Customers return. Decision-making improves.
Winning becomes sustainable.
How Leaders Build This Integration
So how do leaders actually do this, day to day?
Here are four practices I see regularly in high-integrity, high-performing organizations:
1. Make Values Operational
Values can’t live only on posters.
They have to show up in:
Hiring decisions
Promotion criteria
Budget conversations
Product timelines
If “quality” is a value, what does that mean when a release is behind schedule?
If “respect” is a value, how does it show up in performance reviews?
2. Reward Truth-Telling
In healthy systems, people are rewarded for surfacing bad news early.
In unhealthy ones, messengers get punished.
Leaders who integrate integrity create psychological safety for inconvenient facts.
They ask:
“What are we not seeing?”
“What would worry me if I knew it?”
And then they listen.
3. Slow Down at Inflection Points
Most ethical failures happen at moments of pressure:
Missed targets
Investor demands
Market threats
Public scrutiny
Integrated leaders learn to pause right there.
They ask:
“What will this look like in five years?”
“What precedent are we setting?”
“Who bears the risk?”
That pause is often the difference between strength and regret.
4. Model the Standard
Culture follows behavior.
If leaders cut corners, others will too.
If leaders admit mistakes, invite dissent, and take responsibility, those habits spread.
Integrity isn’t enforced.
It’s demonstrated.
A Practical Invitation
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Yes, this matters — but it’s hard to do in real life,” you’re right.
Integration isn’t a personality trait.
It’s a practiced skill.
It requires shared language, clear frameworks, and the ability to navigate pressure without reverting to old habits.
That’s exactly what we work on in Leadership and the Middle Path — helping leaders make tough, high-stakes decisions without sacrificing either performance or principles.
You can learn more about the program here:
The Long Game of Leadership
Leadership is not a series of isolated decisions.
It’s a pattern.
Over time, you become what you repeatedly choose.
Shortcuts compound.
So does integrity.
The leaders we admire most aren’t perfect.
But they are consistent.
They refuse the false choice between winning and doing what’s right.
They understand that the real work is learning to hold both.
And that may be the most important discipline of all.
Ready to integrate winning and success in your leadership? Schedule a conversation with me to discuss your specific needs or go ahead and reserve your seats today.
Many thanks to Maria Ginsbourg for her thoughtful input on earlier drafts of this piece.
The leadership development curriculum I teach—including the battle-tested Leadership and the Middle Path—was designed and developed by world-class organizational development expert Chris Holmberg of Middle Path Consulting.
Leadership selection is one of the highest-stakes decisions any organization makes.
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