What is a leader’s greatest asset? Answers to the question may vary from one individual to the next. However, in leadership circles the greatest asset is trust. If people lose trust in their leader, they will not follow and without followers there is no leadership.

Perhaps the most relevant area to consider involves developing trust as a leader. What can leaders do in order to establish a relationship of trust? A few suggestions include the following:

1. Demonstrate competence. The demonstration of wisdom in decision-making and follow-through helps leaders show a competence that followers demand.

2. Eliminate inconsistencies. Hypocrisy is one of the most detrimental and discouraging areas of leadership. Learning to align our words and actions with our core values eliminates inconsistency.

3. Cultivate character. While challenging, character development is vital to successful leadership and integrity is the cornerstone upon which we cultivate trust.

More could be said about this asset so desperately needed in leadership, but these three provide a basis upon which to begin our journey towards establishing trust.