Build Trust

A staff member was going through a difficult personal situation. It had nothing to do with his work, and he was not the instigator of the situation. I knew it had to be addressed administratively. My supervisor and his supervisor were quite ready to abdicate the resolution of this to me! With some trepidation, I chose to take this to the governing group. They listened patiently as I outlined the situation. Then, to my surprise, two of the committee very readily supported my recommendation to keep this staff member on board. In fact, all members of the committee expressed a great deal of compassion.

What are key leadership skills? Various lists are posted from time to time and some writers even seek to identify the one essential skill for an effective leader. I will not add such a list, but I would argue that there is one skill that every leader should seek to embody: trust.

For most of those in leadership positions, trust is not a given; it must be earned. Being willing to advocate for someone you supervise is one way to build that trust. Another is to stand by your commitments to that person. Of course, this is a two-way street. You earn trust by trusting the person with whom you are working.

Is this risky? Yes. Members of your team can let you down. They may not perform as expected or make bad personal or professional choices. In my experience, however, trust given results in transparency and commitment.

A good leader trusts and expects trust in return.

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