Leading For Confidence And Trust
Trust is essential for leading a team.
The team has to trust you and the public has to trust the team. When we choose a supplier, a service provider, or employment, we always go for the option that feels the safest. This can even be a greater priority than cost. We’d all pay double if the cheaper option had a reputation for failure. How do we build trust? You may think that you know you are a good person, you have good morals, and there’s no reason to not trust you. It’s probably true, but other people have no idea. Even people who know you personally may not have any confidence in you at all to do the work you say you can do. Building confidence and trust require an application of given principles that communicate your trustworthiness and professionalism in their nature. Actions that show we can be trusted need to be taken at every opportunity. It is a continual journey and there has to be a constant appraisal routine that ensures all can be done. One thing that leaves questions to be answered can overshadow a decade of strong leadership.
Power Is Stressful For Others
As a leader, you have power. You might not feel it personally, but others do. A larger-than-life version of you exists in the minds of those who work under you. This means we have to be responsible for this power. Influence and ability are persuasive tools. Persuasion can help lubricate a sale and it can make someone commit a crime. We have to always be on the right side of influence. If we use it to better people’s lives and improve the world then we are helping people to get over inhibitions to progress. If we use it to make people act and think in harmful ways then we have become manipulative. We have to be careful with our words and actions so that we always leave people feeling treated fairly and with dignity.
Leaders Are People Too
Leaders need to be open about their human side. No one knows all the answers and everyone’s been trained slightly differently. There will be areas where a leader hasn’t got the map. If the leader marches the team off on a hap-hazard adventure through unknown markets then they risk the employment of everyone. We have to be able to acknowledge when we are in the dark or at odds with the facts and then work to safely navigate the uncertainty. There is risk in all business but when it is managed properly the leadership shows trustworthiness.
Use Authority And Gentle Force
Sometimes leaders have to put their foot down and put people on the right path. Sometimes other people will act in ways that require a strong force. Keep in mind how much bigger you seem in other people’s minds. They see a larger-than-life version. This means we have to be tactful, reserved, and selective with the way we straighten out the lines. If a person doesn’t respond to tact and considered responses then it’s time to use your power in other ways. Never be afraid to be responsible for cleaning up. Call security, phone the police, report a crime, escort off the premises, and do whatever is necessary to help everyone else feel safe and cared for.
Have Empathy
Don’t forget to feel. These are people, they’re real, and they’re in your life. Keeping up barriers will make you look uncaring, uninterested, and ignorant. You have to talk to people like they’re people and make room for their feelings with your communications. When a person doesn’t make room for a person’s feelings they dehumanise them. A lot of times, people don’t make room because they don’t share those feelings. It’s hard for them to accept other people who are not identical to them. Leaders have to spot this and stop the harmful direction.
Direction And Focus
We have to be able to reflect the intentions of those in our team. When a person shows a passion for excellence in a given area we need to show it to them. By doing this, we reinforce the natural strengths of the individual and the team. Verbal rewards for good work are not only helpful, they demonstrate that you are involved with the process. It boosts confidence and shows that you have an interest in the personal aspirations of the people under you.
Transparency
Finally, to build trust, leaders need to show that they are credible. We are all people and leaders know this too. Credible leaders understand themselves, their strengths and weaknesses. They need to be open and honest, transparency means that it’s obvious what you do, why you do it, and how much it costs the consumer. Caring about the profit comes in equal balance with caring about the team and the customer. It’s not about making money but about solving a problem for money. This is the element of business most people struggle with. They want to help and want to earn but they feel guilty for taking people’s money. Remember the slavery laws apply to you as well. Be honest about the money side, the reasons why you chose to solve the problem, and the way in which it is solved.
We Reflect The Brightest Lights
We are all mirrors, and we reflect what other people project. It takes consideration to not reflect negative emotions when they hit us. If we project confidence and trust to those around us, it will reflect back from them. By maintaining a good standard of character and by treating others with the respect you are looking for, we provide a true and strong image that other people will want to put their faith in.
Something for your inner muse: Trust by OSHO
