The word "leader" usually brings to mind someone who is a leader of a group or an industry. We might also picture someone who is leading the way in business or in sports. The leader in golf would be someone like Tiger Woods, while Apple is the leading brand in portable music devices.

However, there's a lot more to leadership than just someone who's leading a group, a business, or leading in sports. People usually give orders when they're trying to lead a group of people, or they may do underhanded things to trick people into following their lead.

Thanks to the more shady types, people learn to be careful around "leaders." They're not interested in letting someone trick or take advantage of them.

Again, there are different types of leadership, but the only worthwhile and long-lasting styles don't involve tricks and distrust. If your followers get a whiff of any kind of deceit, you'll lose all your credibility and the power that goes with it.

To inspire trust in your followers, you need to have integrity. You have to give them every reason to believe you do what you say you'll do. You don't just talk the talk: You walk the walk.

One of the most common ways leaders hurt their reputation is by making promises that they can't deliver on. It's important to be careful about what you say.

People won't be turned off by someone who is cautious with promises. They know you'll only make commitments you keep. Since they can trust that you won't back out of your promises, they will be better followers as a result.

For example, if you were to promise a subordinate that you are going to give them a raise next year that is a problem.

A raise is often out of your hands, particularly if you don't know how well the company is going to do this year. It's better to think about approaching the subject of a raise in regards to your followers meeting sales goals.

Sometimes it can be very inconvenient to keep your promises. Nonetheless, even if they are inconvenient, it will only benefit you to keep them. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to back out of your commitment, you'll need to apologize and find an acceptable compromise.

All types of leadership can benefit from incorporating integrity. Leaders who demonstrate integrity are a lot more successful.