Trust in leadership

Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great. – Ralph Waldo Emerson Obstacles of Trust: Lack of time The Perceived Untrustworthy Act An Overly Competitive Environment Leadership Mobility The Exaggerated Leadership Ego Rules of Trust: Recognize that people will trust you not because of your charisma, your charm, or your vision, but because they have concluded that your leadership will advance their interests. You therefore need to work to understand the people you lead and to know their interests. Trust building takes time, so be prepared to invest the necessary time in the process. Find ways to demonstrate that your interests are the same as your followers. To gain the trust of others, you must trust first. Trust-building proceeds by increments. So have a plan for a sequence of trust-building measures. The provision of information and your openness to those you lead are important building blocks of trust. Be consistent and predictable in your actions as leader. Beware of the trust obstacles of lack of time, leadership mobility, an overly competitive environment, and exaggerated manifestations of the leadership ego. As stated in the Lencioni book, the absence of trust prevents the building of an effective team. It is difficult and maybe even impossible to lead persons you don’t trust. What is trust and why is it important in the arena of leadership? Open the discussion and select Create Thread to post your response. Simplistic posts will not receive credit, so please be aware of the depth of your posts prior to posting. Use these sources for as 3 of the 4: Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. San Francisco, Cal: Jossey-Bass. Eikenberry, K. (2014, October 27). Five things that matter more when leading other leaders. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/leadership-supervisory-skills/five-things-matter-leading-leaders/. Salacuse, J.W. (2006). Leading leaders: How to manage the top talent in your organization. Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved from http://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/leading-leaders-how-to-manage-the-top-talent-in-your-organization/.