Intentional Integrity

Robert Chesnut

06 August 2020
9781529048827
320 pages

Synopsis

‘Smart, practical advice for anyone looking to do good and do well.’ - Reid Hoffman, co-founder of Linkedin and author of Blitzscaling

Silicon Valley expert and General Counsel of Airbnb, Robert Chesnut shows that companies that do not think seriously about a crucial element of corporate culture – integrity – are destined to fail.


Defining integrity is difficult. Once understood as ‘telling the truth and keeping your word,’ it was about following not just the letter but the spirit of the law. However, at a time when workplaces are becoming more diverse, global, and connected, silence about integrity creates ambiguities about right and wrong that make everyone uncertain, opening the door for the minority of people to rationalize selfish behaviour. Meanwhile, trust in most traditional institutions is at an all-time low and there’s a dark cloud hovering over technology. And this is precisely where companies come in; as peoples’ faith in establishments deteriorates, they’re turning to their employer for stability.

In Intentional Integrity, Chesnut offers a six-step process for leaders to foster and manage a culture of integrity at work. He explains the rationale and legal context for the ethics and practices, and presents scenarios to illuminate the nuances of thinking deeply and objectively about workplace culture.

We will always need governments to manage defence, infrastructure, and basic societal functions. But, Chesnut argues, the private sector has the responsibility to use sensitivity and flexibility to make broader progress – if they act with integrity.

An insider who's combined doing good with doing business well in two iconic Silicon Valley companies. His book contains smart, practical advice for anyone looking to do good and do well
No one has wrestled with more difficult business integrity challenges over the last 20 years than Rob. His insights will instruct you how to drive integrity into your culture. Now, more than ever, we need someone to lead a constructive, direct conversation about integrity in business?Rob delivers
Rob and I were peers at Airbnb and together we helped build a culture and public-facing brand with integrity as a core value. Not only was the work strategically brilliant but under Rob's leadership, it was embedded into the very heart of the company. Rob brings creativity, empathy, credibility and a great sense of humor to this important topic ? he makes ethics human and fun