A while back I received a call. Not a call I wanted, but one I needed. Actually my wife answered the phone.

It was from my credit card company. Seems somebody wants to be me.

Miss Credit Card wanted to know if I had been to California the prior week and made a $91 charge at a liquor store outside of San Francisco? Fifteen minutes later there was a $35 charge at a convenient store just 5 miles from the liquor store. "That doesn't match your normal pattern of spending," the woman said.

"Excuse me? The week in question I was over 3,000 miles away from San Francisco, and besides, I don't do liquor stores."

Can you say I.D. theft?

Thankfully, there are some things about my life that are predictable. Avoiding liquor stores and California are near the top of the list.

As a leader, are there things in your life that are predictable? Do you have patterns of behavior that tell the story of who you are? Leaders cannot afford to be sneaky.

Perhaps as important as the principles and practices you live by, are the people who have your back?

For me, there was someone who recognized the red flag and was willing to confront me with the suspicious behavior.

Do you have people like that in your life? And I am not talking about people from your credit card company. I am talking about friends and family members who know you really well. People who you don't hide things from.

Have you given them permission to keep you on track? I hope so. Your integrity is like your ID and this world would love to steal it and see you become a statistic.

I encourage you to ruthlessly guard your integrity. One of the best ways to do that is to have the right routines and the right relationships.

And of course ... stay out of California.

Leadership Begins at Home,

Randy

Why are predictable behaviors important for a leader who wants to maintain his or her integrity?

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