One of the most important lessons a leader can learn is how trust works. To me, it is 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 one, you have to pay out some of your change to the people.
One of the most important lessons a leader can learn is how trust works. To me, it is 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 one, 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 decision, he is going to reach into his pocket and realise he is out of change. It doesn’t even matter if the blunder was big or small. When you’re out of change, you are out as a leader.
A leader’s history of successes and failures makes a big difference in his credibility. Your pole know when you make mistakes. The real question is whether you’re going to ‘fess up. If you do, you can often quickly regain their trust. I’ve learned first-hand that when it comes to leadership, you just can’t take short cuts, no matter how long you’ve been leading your people.
Trust is the foundation of leadership
There are three qualities a leader must exemplify to build trust: 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. PepsiCo chairman and CEO Craig Weatherup acknowledges, “People will tolerate honest mistakes, but if you violate their trust you will find it very difficult to ever regain their confidence. That is one reason that you need to treat trust as your most precious asset. You may fool your boss but you can never fool your colleagues or surbodinates.”
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.
The role of character always has been the key factor in the rise and fall of nations. In short,, character is the only effective bulwark against internal and external forces that lead to a country’s disintegration or collapse. Character makes trust possible. And trust makes leadership possible.
Character communicates many things to followers:
Character communicates consistency
Leaders without inner strength can’t be counted on day after because their ability to perform changes constantly. If your people don’t know what to expect from you as leader, at some point they won’t look to you for leadership
Character communicates potential
‘You don’t build trust by talking about it. You build trust by achieving results, always with integrity and in a manner that shows real personal regard for the people with whom you work” Craig Weatherup
When a leader’s character is strong, people trust him/her, and they trust in his ability to release their potential. That not only gives followers hope for the future, but it also promotes a strong belief in themselves and their organisation.
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 often do leaders earn respect? By making sound decisions, admitting their mistakes and putting what’s best for their followers and the organisation ahead of their personal agendas
A leader’s good character builds trust among his followers. But, when a leader breaks trust, he forfeits his ability to lead. No leader can break trust with his people and to expect to keep the same level of influence with them. Trust is the foundation of leadership. Violate your people’s trust, and you’re through as a leader
By John Maxwell
