A Trustworthy Leader

Trust is something that is earned with time, once the people around you are familiar with who you are. I think becoming a leader for your peers isn’t something that is sought after, but rather a position that is given.

Being trustworthy is one of the soft skills included in Doyles’ “Top 10 Leadership Skills”, which I addressed in my first entry. I think there is a hierarchy, and/or order to the list given. Some of these skills can survive on their own, while others are created or dependent of others.

Let me put this into context. If you are responsible, committed, motivated, positive while performing your tasks, with addition to the most important skill, communication. This speaks volumes about the kind of person you are to the people you work with. You may also be considered creative, provide useful feedback, and demonstrate the ability to delegate. After someone has successfully displayed all of these skills, it becomes easier to rely on them as a valuable team player. A trust in that person is built. To be trustworthy is to display all of your leadership skills, and use them for the good and well-being of the company and co-workers. Doing this will only validate your leadership skills, and people will feel comfortable putting their trust in you.

Let’s consider an individual who is a leader at a given firm, any firm. Maybe this leader demonstrates strong communication skills, and is also flexible, creative and positive. They may display an efficiency with his delegation and motivation skills. But what happens when the team fails.. failure in the workplace is normal, and it happens to everyone. We work off of our failures to grow. In this context, say Mr. Leader fails to take responsibility when he is given negative feedback from Mr. Superior, all the while his staff was eavesdropping. Ultimately he delegates blame to others because of their shortcomings.

Mr. Leader isn’t much of a leader anymore, isn’t he? The trust in him from others is lost because he was so quick to throw his staff under the bus. A person may demonstrate many of the skills that contribute to being an exceptional leader, but how strong can a leader be when there is a lack of trust from their peers?

People can work on their communication skills, motivational skills, delegation skills. Workshops may be available to inspire creativity and commitment. I believe being trustworthy is a byproduct of a persons values and morals.