How Legal Leaders Can Drive Integrity In Today's Business World

In today’s business environment, where every move is scrutinized and every decision has the potential to go viral, legal leaders find themselves in a unique position. They are no longer just gatekeepers of compliance but also at the forefront of shaping ethical cultures within organizations. Robert Chesnut, who served as general counsel and chief ethics officer at Airbnb, offers profound insights into how legal leaders can transform integrity from a mere buzzword into a tangible force that drives company culture and business success.

1. Make Integrity A Daily Practice, Not Just A Policy

One of the more unusual yet effective approaches Chesnut advocates for is making integrity a visible, daily practice rather than just a set of policies collecting dust on a shelf. At Airbnb, for example, integrity wasn’t confined to a handbook. Instead, Chesnut and his team developed “Integrity Yetis,” a fun and creative way to recognize employees who demonstrated ethical behavior. These were not just tokens but became symbols of pride around the office. Imagine an employee being recognized in front of their peers for standing up for the right thing — even something as seemingly minor as calling out a colleague (or even a senior leader) for a small lapse in security protocol. The act of recognition turns integrity into something people want to embody and be celebrated for, rather than something they merely comply with.

Chesnut’s experience shows that when integrity is embedded in everyday actions and celebrated publicly, it becomes a core part of the company culture. It’s not about imposing rules from the top down but about fostering an environment where ethical behavior is noticed, appreciated, and emulated by others.

2. Build A Network Of Ethics Champions Across The Organization

Another unexpected insight from Chesnut’s work is the power of decentralizing the ownership of ethics. Rather than housing integrity solely within the confines of the legal department, Chesnut argues for creating a network of “ethics ambassadors” across all departments. At Airbnb, these were not high-ranking executives but rather midlevel employees from various parts of the company who volunteered to champion integrity within their teams. This approach does two things: it democratizes ethics, making it everyone’s responsibility, and it embeds ethical decision-making closer to where actual business decisions are made.

By appointing these ambassadors, you empower employees to become stewards of integrity in their own right. They become the go-to people for ethical questions and dilemmas, fostering a culture where ethical considerations are part of everyday business discussions rather than afterthoughts or crises management. This network not only helps in identifying potential ethical issues early but also ensures that ethical behavior is seen as part of every role, not just something for the legal team to worry about.

3. Measure Integrity With The Same Rigor As Business Performance

Perhaps one of the most groundbreaking approaches Chesnut discusses is the idea of measuring integrity with the same rigor as any other business metric. This might sound strange at first—how do you quantify something as abstract as integrity? But Chesnut makes a compelling case that if you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it. At Airbnb, they looked at metrics such as the number of integrity-related questions raised by employees, engagement with ethics training materials, and responses to ethical dilemmas.

By quantifying these actions, Chesnut’s team could track the health of the company’s ethical culture and identify areas for improvement. It also provided tangible data to show the board and other stakeholders that integrity wasn’t just a feel-good concept but a measurable and managed aspect of the business. This focus on metrics helps shift the conversation around ethics from a soft, nice-to-have quality to a core business competency that impacts the bottom line.

Final Thoughts: Integrity As A Strategic Asset

The takeaway from Chesnut’s experience is clear: integrity should be seen as a strategic asset, not a compliance requirement. It’s about creating an environment where every employee feels responsible for and capable of contributing to the ethical fabric of the company. Legal leaders are in a prime position to drive this transformation, but it requires a shift in mindset — from being enforcers of rules to being champions of culture.

So, what can you do as a legal leader to build this culture of integrity? Start by integrating ethical behavior into daily business practices, empower employees at all levels to own and champion integrity, and measure it as you would any other critical business function. For more on how to implement these strategies and other innovative approaches to corporate integrity, be sure to check out the full conversation with Robert Chesnut on “Notes to My (Legal) Self.” You’ll gain deeper insights into how to make integrity not just a policy, but a practice that drives both culture and business success.

Olga V. Mack is a Fellow at CodeX, The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics, and a Generative AI Editor at law.MIT. Olga embraces legal innovation and had dedicated her career to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive than before by embracing technology. Olga is also an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor, and entrepreneur. She authored Get on Board: Earning Your Ticket to a Corporate Board Seat, Fundamentals of Smart Contract Security, and  Blockchain Value: Transforming Business Models, Society, and Communities. She is working on three books: Visual IQ for Lawyers (ABA 2024), The Rise of Product Lawyers: An Analytical Framework to Systematically Advise Your Clients Throughout the Product Lifecycle (Globe Law and Business 2024), and Legal Operations in the Age of AI and Data (Globe Law and Business 2024). You can follow Olga on LinkedIn and Twitter @olgavmack.