Some would say that trust is the foundation of leadership. Have you ever followed someone that you could not trust? What happens when the leader of an organization can’t be trusted? I would suggest that a positional leader that has not gained the trust of his flock, is simply walking down a lonely road to nowhere. We have all heard the expression “an organization is only as strong as it’s weakest link.” When the weakest link is at the top, the fallout effects the entire food chain.
Engagement is arguably one of the most important aspects of a successful organization and when there is a lack of trust up the ladder, there appears to be a lack of buy-in throughout. General H. Norman Schwartzkoph once stated:
“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without strategy.”
Without character, trust will be hard to achieve. Those troops serving under General Schwartkoph knew and understood that no matter how bad or difficult the conditions got, they were on solid ground because of the trust that they had in their leader. They trusted their leader because of the reputation he had built through his many years of serving our country as a man of integrity and character.
John Maxwell in his The 21 Irrefutalble Laws of Leadership states this:
“If your people don’t know what to expect from you as a leader, at some point they won’t look to you for leadership.”
Maxwell goes on to say that if you want to develop and strengthen your personal character and become someone who is trustworthy you should work on three things:
- Integrity – Make a commitment to be honest. People can tell when you are not being truthful.
- Authenticity – Be yourself, both good and bad. People will respect and trust a person who admits to, and owns his failures.
- Discipline – Do the right thing, even when it’s easier to go down a different path.
The bottom line is this, as a leader you are responsible to build and maintain the foundation of your organization. This applies to being the head of your household as well. When I think of solid ground, I think of stability. Instability in either your professional life or your business will lead to structural failure and compromise the solid ground that we all seek out for security. When the foundation begins to crumble, it is only a matter of time before the rest of the structure begins to fail as well.
What will you do today to build trust either in your business or at home?
Next Up: Law #7 – The Law of Respect
Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com 6/20/12
