Influential leadership
Real life Insights on how leaders can either build or erode the trust of their team.
Over dinner, I had the opportunity to discuss with my mentor the top three qualities he believes make a great leader. While we were ordering our food, the waiter confused us briefly with our drink order, but his customer service skills quickly rectified the situation.
After silence, my mentor said,
I appreciate it when they take the initiative;
the commitment to accomplish what they said;
And thirdly, the desire always to learn.
With 40 years of experience, he supported all his statements with valuable lessons. He places significant importance on having a teachable spirit, urging us to seek knowledge from everyone and every situation by asking questions.
He went further to sum up that the foundation for influential leadership is:
Character (personal integrity)
Competence (one is growing continually and purposefully.)
Care, he builds trust with the people he is responsible to leads (he knows them, asks for forgiveness, is vulnerable, has high standards, and is reliable).
As I reflected, I shared these principles with my leadership team (in 2017) whose primary focus was serving others. We focused our conversation on the category of Trust.
Here is the summary of our insights: What enhances our trust in a leader?
Character
Personal care, benevolence
Supportive, encouraging
Entrusts you with tasks and offers to help you
Trusts you
He is open to new ideas
He communicates on different levels, not only officially
He can make a decision, has the right motives
He is wholeheartedly sold out to what he says: He believes in it.
Delegates fully support new ideas
Tactful communication
Open-mindedness
What causes us to distrust our leader?
Lack of trust in you
Focus on destructive criticism
Too much control over a given task: micromanagement
When he treats you as an immature person
Lack of communication
Biased decision-making, placing himself at the center.
Lack of honesty in being wholehearted concerning the organization’s mission
Taking back the authority he gave you
Harsh communication
Lack of honest communication.
Doubtful spirit.
Greedy for a position.
Seeking his interest
It's worth bearing in mind that building trust and fostering understanding is a responsibility that falls on both leaders and those who are led. This is crucial not only in professional contexts but also in personal relationships. Speaking of mistakes, I noticed that the waiter had accidentally charged us for an additional orange juice at the end of our dinner. While it was a mistake, we decided to pay for it anyways as an act of kindness and to encourage the waiter to improve his skills. It's important to remember that errors can occur, but our responses to them truly matter in establishing trust between those who serve and those who are served, especially as leaders.
As a leader, what factors increase or decrease your level of trust? Similarly, as someone being led, what influences your level of trust?
P.S. You can do this trust exercise with your team, friends, and spouse.
Thankful for their contribution P.Ll, T.C, K&D.S, M.R, B.R, E.P