Trust is the Foundation of Leadership
The Result was Mistrust
When it comes to leadership, you just can’t take shortcuts, no matter
how long you’ve been leading your people.
A leader’s history of success and failures makes a big difference in
his credibility. It’s a little like earning and spending pocket change.
Each time you make a good leadership decision, it puts change into
your pocket. Each time you make a poor leadership decision, you
have to pay out some of your change to the people.
Every leader has a certain amount of change in his pocket when
he starts in a new leadership position. From then on, he either builds
up his change or pays it out. If he makes one bad decision after another,
he keeps paying out change. Then one day, after making one last bad
decision, he is going to reach into his pocket and realize he is out of
change. It doesn’t even matter if the blunder was big or small. When
you’re out of change, you’re out as a leader.
A leader who keeps making good decisions, and keeps recording
wins for the organization builds up his change. Then even if he makes
a huge blunder, he can still have plenty of change left over.
Trust is the Foundation of Leadership
To build trust, a leader must exemplify these qualities: competence,
connection, and character. People will forgive occasional mistakes
based on ability, especially if they can see that you’re still growing as
a leader. But they won’t trust someone who has slips in character.
In that area, even occasional lapses are lethal. All effective leaders
know this truth.
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf points to the significance of
character:”Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and
character. But if you must be without one, be without strategy.”
Character and leadership credibility always go hand in hand.
Character makes trust possible. And trust makes leadership possible.
That is the Law of Solid Ground.
Character Communicates
Whenever you lead people, it’s as if they consent to take a journey with you.
Character communicates many things to followers:
Character Communicates Consistency
Leaders without inner strength can’t be counted on day after day
because their ability to perform changes constantly.
Character Communicates Potential
John Morley observed, “No man can climb our beyond the
limitations of his own character.” That’s especially true when
it comes to leadership.
Character Communicates Respect
When you don’t have strength within, you can’t earn respect
without. And respect is absolutely essential for lasting leadership.
How do leaders earn respect? By making sound decisions, admitting
their mistakes, and putting what’s best for their followers and the
organization ahead of their personal agendas.
“The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners
and refuses to be buried is the character of a man. This is true.
What a man is survives him. It can never be buried.” – J.R. Miller
By Then it was Too Late
Whenever a leader breaks the Law of Solid Ground, he pays a
price in his leadership.
No leader can break trust with his people and expect to keep
influencing them. Trust is the foundation of leadership. Violate
the Law of Solid Ground, and you’re through as a leader.
Kevin McNabb
http://tinyurl.com/yrxbct
