Living in the Hyphen
Being fully integrated doesn’t mean you never adapt. It means you never lose your center.
Gabriel Salguero’s words at GLS25: “I’m not confused. I’m integrated,” still echo in my mind.
“In a world that is so highly and globally connected, we need leaders who are bridge builders…Leaders who know how to face conflict and live in the tension.”
He went on to describe “hyphenated leadership” and the need for leaders to be able to “live and lead in the tension” that comes with being more fully integrated.
As an example, he is a self-proclaimed “Jersey-Rican” that often confuses others when he shows up as a mix of a Pentecostal with formal Reformed training.
But that is who he is as a leader. He lives “in the hyphen.”
As he shared his story, it reminded me of how important true integration is for leaders.
In our work at The H3 Leader and through Convene, integration isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.
We challenge leaders to bring their whole selves to the table: their business expertise, their evolving personality, their convictions, and their faith foundation.
This isn’t about being rigid; it’s about alignment.
It’s about showing up as the same person in the boardroom, the living room, the sanctuary, and the community, while having the emotional intelligence to adapt your approach to the moment without compromising your core.
Stephen M.R. Covey calls this “walking your talk.” In The Speed of Trust, he explains that people trust leaders whose behavior matches their values, even when no one is watching.
Integrated leaders create trust because they are predictable in character, even when they are admirably flexible in their approach to various situations they face.
They can navigate complexity without fragmenting who they are. They lead from a place of wholeness, and that wholeness becomes a steadying presence in uncertain times.
The marketplace is full of skilled operators, but the ones who truly stand out are those whose values, actions, and words all sing in harmony.
That’s the hidden strength of integration. Your leadership is no longer a performance.
It’s simply you.
What can we do to move further in that direction?
Reflect – Where in your leadership do you feel most integrated, and where do you sense a gap between your values and your actions?
Engage – Share this with another leader you respect and have an honest conversation about what integration looks like in your world.
Act – Identify one small way this week you can close the gap between who you are at work and who you are at home.
Blessings to you, my friends!
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This Week’s Resource Recommendation:
"Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality"
- Dr. Henry Cloud
From Amazon: Integrity—more than simple honesty, it's the key to success. A person with integrity has the ability to pull everything together, to make it all happen no matter how challenging the circumstances. Drawing on experiences from his work, Dr. Henry Cloud, a clinical psychologist, leadership coach, corporate consultant and nationally syndicated radio host, shows how our character can keep us from achieving all we want to (or could) be.
In Integrity, Dr. Cloud explores the six qualities of character that define integrity, and how people with integrity:
Are able to connect with others and build trust
Are oriented toward reality
Finish well
Embrace the negative
Are oriented toward increase
Have an understanding of the transcendent
Integrity is not something that you either have or don't, but instead is an exciting growth path that all of us can engage in and enjoy.
MMS 25-32
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