Tag: Competence

Trust

What is the leader’s greatest asset? 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.

What can leaders do in order to establish a relationship of trust?

Demonstrate competence.
Wisdom in decision-making and follow through helps leaders show a competence that followers need.

Eliminate inconsistencies.
Learning to align our words and actions with our core values may not completely eliminate inconsistency, but it helps.

Cultivate character.
While challenging, integrity is the foundation of our character upon which we cultivate trust.

Trust…

Good leadership requires trust. In his book Canoeing the Mountains, Tod Bolsinger writes, “No one is going to follow you off the map unless they trust you on it.”

Introducing change challenges any leader to their core. The resistance to change discourages leaders, yet it is inevitable.

While not absolute, often times the problem exists because leaders have not gained trust while leading on the map in order to have people follow them off the map.

Trust is built over time and leaders do not gain trust simply because they have a title or position. When they demonstrate credibility and competence, trust grows.