"Integrity is congruence between what you know, what you profess, and what you do."

Nathaniel Branden

Presidents and CEOs live in what many may call a glass house, where every word, decision, and gesture is scrutinized by:

• Employees

• Investors (if applicable)

• Media (social media being the worst)

• The public (and employees, clients and future clients)

Applying this quote, means integrity isn’t just internal alignment, it’s visible alignment.

People are constantly asking... Do their actions match their words? Do their words reflect what they truly believe? Can I trust them to do what’s right when no one’s looking?

Your congruence as a leader becomes your culture.

When leaders carry themselves congruently:

• Their employees mirror and model behavior. Integrity cascades down throughout the company.

• Their trust becomes cultural currency. People feel safe to speak up and commit.

• Their reputation becomes resilient. In times of crisis, people give the benefit of the doubt.

However, when leaders carry themselves in an incongruent manner:

• Their people disengage. They stop believing in the mission.

• Their cynicism spreads. It’s just talk becomes the norm.

• Their reputation cracks. One misstep can unravel years of goodwill.

People assume executives know more than they say. So, when executives act surprised or uninformed, it feels dishonest.

Visible integrity means:

• Acknowledging hard truths.

• Admitting what you don’t know.

• Being transparent about what you’re learning.

When executives lack integrity or act in incongruent manners, don't be surprised when people inside your company say this, If they knew this and didn’t act, what else are they hiding?

What are you publicly acknowledging to your people?

Your words are commitments and people remember them.

Visible integrity means:

• Speaking with clarity and consistency.

• Being willing to say less if you can’t act yet.

Heartfelt executives avoid these scenarios happening inside their company, They said they cared about us, do they really?

As executives, your actions are your loudest signal.

Visible integrity means:

• You're making decisions that reflect your values, even when it’s costly.

• You're holding yourself radically accountable.

• You're acting the same when no one’s watching.

These executives who are fueled by visible integrity have their employees saying, They're walking the talk, and you know what? That's leadership.

Integrity is not just a virtue, it’s a mirror. People, your employees, reflect what they see. If they see alignment, they align. If they see contradiction, they disconnect.

So, for presidents and CEOs, the question isn’t just... Am I congruent?, it’s Would someone watching me believe I am?

Let's Set the Business Table

Trust isn’t just a value, it’s currency. It’s the most powerful asset your company has.

You cannot lead where you won’t go. You cannot ask for what you don’t model.

If your leadership isn’t congruent, if your words and actions don’t align, then quote frankly, your people will feel it. The result?

• Massive amounts of cynicism

• Massive amounts of disengagement

• You lose massive amounts of credibility

Your sales culture mirrors your leadership. If you don’t live trust internally, your people won’t build it externally. You set the tone, plain and simple, end of story.

Authenticity and how CEOs show up, isn’t optional, it’s foundational. It drives how their team shows up, connects, and earns the right to be heard.

The Trust Formula applies to the C-suite just as much as in the field:

• Authentic Relationships - Are you present, real, and accessible?

• Meaningful Value - Do your people know why your company exists and more importantly, do they believe it?

• Inspirational Experience - Does your leadership inspire or drain your people?

• Disciplined Habits - Are you consistently modeling what you expect?

You can’t fake this stuff, you can’t delegate this stuff, and most of all, you must live this stuff.

This isn’t just about your culture, it’s about the teams' performance. When you lead with trust, your sales team sells with confidence. When you show up authentically, they do as well.

If you want your team to sell from the heart, start by leading from it.

The Integrity Gap, When Leaders Don’t Live Their Message

Sales professionals are tired of empty suits and so are clients.

The same rings true internally. Your salespeople can spot an empty suit in the C-suite, too, and sometimes faster than you think.

Meaning, your team is watching you just as closely as your clients are.

They’re watching:

• Does my CEO talk about people-first culture, but reward only numbers?

• Does my CEO emphasize trust in client relationships but ignore input from those closest to the client.

• Does my CEO preach collaboration but isolate themselves behind layers of management and reporting.

This integrity gap erodes trust. And in a sales organization, trust is oxygen.

Every time your words and actions don’t align, you widen the integrity gap. And that gap becomes a breeding ground for skepticism, disengagement, and eventually disloyalty. Not just from clients, but from your own people.

To close this gap, leaders must embody and embrace what they expect from their teams:

• Lead with authenticity, not theatrics.

• Be visible, accessible, and real.

• Align rewards with values, not just results.

• Prioritize truth over comfort and transparency over control.

You can’t ask your team to build trust externally if they don’t feel it internally.

Your encouraged to ask yourself... Am I modeling the behaviors I want my people to replicate? Am I living my message, or just broadcasting it?

Authenticity isn't optional, it's your only sustainable advantage.

Trust Is Built on Congruence

The Trust Formula, which is Authentic Relationships, Meaningful Value, Inspirational Experience, and Disciplined Habits, isn’t just a sales strategy, it’s a leadership mandate.

For CEOs, congruence isn’t optional, it’s foundational.

• You say you care, do your people feel seen, heard, and valued?

• You say you promote innovation; do you celebrate intelligent risk-taking or punish failure?

• You preach accountability, do you model it when no one’s watching?

Congruence is alignment between what you say, what you believe, and how you behave.

When leaders embody this alignment, they don’t just set the standard, they become the standard.

You might be asking, why does all this matter? Because trust flows from the top down.

Congruent leadership creates clarity, safety, and courage, all fertile ground for authentic sales conversations and bold business decisions.

Congruent CEOs become the company’s most powerful sales enablement asset. Not through strategy decks, but through integrity on display.

Congruence is when your values aren’t just printed on the wall but practiced in the hall.

Congruency cultivates trust, not through charisma, but consistency. Congruence quiets the noise, clarifies expectations and creates emotional stability.

Congruence inspires sales conviction.

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The Sales Team is Always Watching

Sales isn't just a role; it’s a daily test of resilience. Rejection is constant, pressure is high, and quite frankly, expectations don’t stop.

Salespeople aren't looking for a perfect CEO, they’re looking for one that's present.

They're watching to see:

• If you lead with integrity when the numbers are down.

• If you support what you say with how you behave.

• If your actions align with the culture you preach.

Building authentic relationships to grow sales in a distrustful business world, begins with:

• Clarity in your communication.

• Conviction in your principles.

• Consistency in your self-accountability.

Your presence as a CEO sets the emotional tone of the organization. Your congruence cultivates emotional safety. This is what gives your salespeople permission to be authentic, courageous, and creative out in the field with your clients.

When a sales team sees their leader:

• Tell the truth, even when it’s hard…

• Reward effort, not just outcomes…

• Treat people as humans, not just headcount…

You know what? They’re inspired to show up with heart.

The secret to sustainable sales growth isn’t just better playbooks, processes or procedure, it’s better leadership behavior.

Trust doesn’t trickle down from policies, it radiates out from leaders who walk their talk.

So, if you want a high-performing sales culture, start with your own reflection.

Your team isn't just listening to what you say, they’re deciding whether they can believe it.

What Salespeople Say Behind Closed Doors

There’s a conversation happening when you're not in the room. It sounds something like this:

• They talk about trust, but they're suffocating us by micro-managing us.

• They say we matter, but they’ve never asked what I need to succeed.

• They preach build relationships but only track activities.

These aren't gripes, they’re signals of a disconnect between what leadership preaches and how they behave. When the sales team senses all of this, they disengage.

You know what’s worse? The clients sense it too. Your salespeople can’t sell what your culture doesn’t live.

If you tell your salespeople to lead with heart but manage them with fear, they won’t follow you. If you say relationships matter but only reward results, don’t be surprised when they cut corners.

Friction breeds disengagement. It erodes belief, it kills motivation, and it drives quiet quitting long before anyone leaves.

When a CEO shows up congruently by leading with clarity, conviction, and care, then trust becomes the culture. And when that happens, salespeople rise to the occasion, culture lifts, and your clients, well, they feel it.

Salespeople don’t leave companies; they leave incongruent leaders.

Congruent Leadership Multiplies Sales Confidence

When CEOs lead with integrity, authenticity, and consistency, the ripple effect is undeniable.

All of this doesn't just shape culture, it transforms performance.

Here’s why:

1. Confidence Flows Downward

Salespeople mirror what they see in leadership.

When a CEO leads with authenticity by walking the talk, not just talking the talk, this signals to the sales team that you’re not selling hype, you’re selling something real.

All of this creates courage. This guides your team to prospect with purpose, to lead with heart, and to win with conviction.

Salespeople don’t need polished speeches. They need leaders whose actions back their words.

2. Consistency Builds Momentum

As Craig Groeschel says,

“It’s not what you do occasionally that matters. It’s what you do consistently.”

That principle isn’t just for prospecting, it’s for leadership.

When CEOs consistently show up, communicate clearly, and lead with values, momentum builds.

Salespeople stop second-guessing and sales managers stop over-explaining.

3. Congruence Clarifies Culture

Incongruent leadership creates noise; congruent leadership creates clarity.

When what you say aligns with how you act, the culture becomes crystal clear.

This clarity becomes a beacon of light.

• It guides decision-making within your team.

• It empowers autonomy.

• It attracts top talent.

• It reduces churn because people stay where trust lives.

Culture doesn’t come from slogans. It comes from the everyday congruence of its leaders.

4. Trust Turns into Sales Speed

Internal trust accelerates external outcomes. Now, think about revenue, profit and client retention.

When teams trust leadership, they don’t hesitate, they act. They adapt by bringing more of themselves to the conversations, and that authenticity translates directly to clients.

Externally, clients can feel, sense and smell it. They don’t just hear the message, they believe it.

Trust isn't just a feel-good word; it’s a sales accelerator.

The Courage to Go First

Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about having the courage to go first, especially when it’s uncomfortable.

Because in a business world saturated with noise and spin-doctoring, authenticity stands out.

Vulnerability builds trust, and someone must go first.

Courage in practice, looks something like:

• Apologizing first, not because you're weak but because you’re strong enough to prioritize relationships over ego.

• Telling the truth first, even when it's not convenient and even when it costs you.

• Asking for feedback first, signals humility. It invites growth from every level of the organization.

• Admitting mistakes first, because pretending to be perfect builds walls. Owning your flaws builds connection.

• Championing values first, not when it’s popular or easy but when it’s hard, and when it’s lonely.

Salespeople sell the way leadership leads.

If you want them to lead with heart, you must show yours. If you want them to build trust in the marketplace, they must experience it inside the company. If you want them to be bold with clients, they must see you be bold with truth.

They don’t need a fearless leader. What they really need is a real one.

Final Thoughts, CEO as Chief Trust Officer

In this post-trust business world, the CEO wears a new title, Chief Trust Officer.

Not just the one who casts vision or drives strategy, but the one who lives the values when no one’s looking.

Culture isn’t shaped by what you declare, it’s shaped by what you demonstrate. When your walk drifts from your talk, your people feel it first, then your clients.

When you lead with authenticity, practice congruence, and embody the Trust Formula, you don’t just grow revenue, you build belief, and then, watch what happens to your profits.

It's this belief that turns a company into a cause, something salespeople want to fight for, sell for, and stay for.

Movements don’t start in boardrooms. They start in hearts.

So, if you’re ready to lead from the heart, start by asking the most courageous question of all... Where is my walk out of step with my talk?

When you're willing to answer this, then fix it, boldly, publicly and most of all, humbly.

Trust isn’t granted by your title; it’s earned through truth.

As we bring this journey to a close, here’s the question that every authentic leader must wrestle with... Would I trust my company if I were sitting in my salespeople’s seat?

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.