“Trust is the foundation of leadership.”
John Maxwell
The Law of Solid Ground speaks of being a leader people can trust. I think the words solid ground are like a foundation. All things are built upon it. If you do not trust your leader, much will be built upon him.
Without trust, there can be no influence. Trust is built when a leader consistently demonstrates competence, connection and character. A sound character is key to building long-term trust, because it conveys consistency, potential, and builds respect.
I remember having a leader I did not trust. He did not do the things he said he would do. He took credit for ideas and work that me and my group had done. I did not trust him, which resulted in me holding back. It was natural holding back, as I did not want to be called out or questioned because of something he did not represent well.
We have to be trustworthy leaders. People have to trust we will do the right thing for them and the business.
So as leaders, how do we build trust?
Show people your character. Let them see how you try to do better each and every day. That you do the right things when presented with decisions. They don’t have to know every reason for every decision, but explaining the whys is helpful to others to see your thoughts and reasoning.
Treat people with dignity and respect. None of us is better than any others. We may have different circumstances, but we should treat all people with dignity and respect. Your people see how you treat them, their peers and others around you.
Do what you say you will do. I have seen many leaders say something just to appease others rather than sharing the real truth. I once heard a leader say he would not be closing down outlets to a couple of hundred field leaders, then spend the next year closing down the outlets.
How can you trust a leader who says one thing and does another?
Being a trusted leader yields additional benefit. According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, call The Neuroscience of Trust
Compared with people at low-trust companies, people at high-trust companies report:
- 74% less stress
- 106% more energy at work
- 50% higher productivity
- 13% fewer sick days
- 76% more engagement
- 29% more satisfaction with their lives
- 40% less burnout.
We need to work on our foundation of leadership each and every day, and that is to lay down the solid ground of trust.
I am working with a group on developing their leadership skills. One of the activities I am having them do is to read through and provide their insights to each chapter of the book 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell. This series of post provides the basic summary of each of the Laws along with my thoughts.
Prime Leadership & Development 