An article by Diane Coutu discusses the importance of rebuilding leadership in these challenging economic times. The article authors observe that while there’s no single way to create trust, humanist psychologists agree that the best way to generate it is to show competence, integrity, respect, and consistency. Certainly it’s no coincidence that these are the qualities of timeless leadership:
- Competence lays the foundation for trust. It’s the thing that first attracts followers, even if the leader’s character is not particularly noble. Soldiers prefer winning tyrants to likeable losers. In business, employees look to their leaders to take the decisions that make sure they’ll keep their jobs and get paid.
- Integrity is the next step in the hierarchy of trust. A leader must be honest in his dealings with others or he will quickly squander the trust that he earned through being competent. It’s important for leaders to remember that followers are more likely to forgive lapses in competence than lapses in integrity. "You’re incompetent," for example, carries none of the sting that "you betrayed me" does.
- Respect is the glue that keeps the trusting relationship going. Civility and appreciation for the dignity of others is both the cause, and the result, of trust. The arrogance of the car bosses in calling for their executive jets showed a profound disrespect both for their employees and for the American taxpayer. This kind of disrespect boomerangs, eventually, given the emphasis most people place on fairness.
- Consistency is the real engine of trust. Even if a leader shows competence, integrity, and respect, but fails to behave consistently, she won’t capture people’s hearts and minds. No one wants to follow a leader who is trustworthy one moment and unpredictable the next. Without reliability, there can only be pseudo trust between people – especially in relations where the power is asymmetrical.
These four competencies provide a solid foundation from which trust can be built or re-built.
- How do you apply these competencies in your daily life?
- Are you consciously building your trust quotient?
Technorati Tags: Trust, Character, Leadership, Management, Business, Integrity, Competence, Respect, Consistency
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Here i would like to share some idea, A leader is One who Creates the Way; Walks the Way; and Shows the Way. In fact, every person has some leadership qualities. You have been taking a role of a leader more often then what you think of.
Potential for developing your leadership quality is restricted only by the limitations you impose on yourself. It is bound only by your motivation and desire to have, become, or be.