Leadership … Continued Discussions 5/26/10

In this post I want to discuss “trust,” both in regard to a leader’s trust in others and others’ trust in a leader.  Both aspects are absolutely essential to a successful tenure as a leader.

Re the importance of a leader trusting those whom he or she leads, it is my sense that people cannot excel at what they do … contribute maximally, if they do not feel that they are believed in and trusted to make a greater difference.  Without a clear sense that their thinking, their input, and their actions are sufficiently valued to warrant consideration, their input and actions will not be forthcoming, at least not to the extent they might.  It is human nature not to put oneself in jeopardy.  And if there is a perceived absence of trust, leader to staff, jeopardy can loom large.

My guiding principle in this regard is to trust everyone … until such time as they prove to me otherwise.  Samuel Johnson, the 1700s English essayist, biographer and poet, espoused something similar in saying, “It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust.” Frank Crane, the late 1800s early 1900s American Presbyterian minister who is best known as a speaker, columnist and author, touched on this as well in saying, “You may be cheated if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough.” For those who would lead, I would change this to read, “You may be mislead if you trust too much, but you will walk alone or in the presence of only those who will tell you what you want to hear if you do not trust enough.” Trust gives rise to engagement, contribution and caring … trust is the foundation of progress.

And for that sense of a leader’s trust to evolve within a staff, these individuals need to be engaged and empowered to be a part of the process.  They need to be courted … their input actively sought out.  And that input needs to be truthfully considered.  And when their guidance goes amiss, and it surely will on occasion, the importance of their contributions to finding the ultimate best path forward needs to be the focus … not the quality of the input.  This is when those who would be led understand that their leader trusts them and values them.  This is when greater differences are made.  Ralph Waldo Emerson said this well, “Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great.”

The other side of the trust equation is the reality that a staff must trust its leader … to make best possible decisions in support of the organizations and in support of them, if they are to fully invest themselves in the vision of the leader.  But this will come naturally once the leader’s trust in them is perceived as real and is routinely displayed.  Trust breads trust.

And what of the trust that a leader’s superiors would have in him or her?  A leader cannot function if there is a lack of trust from above, and surely will experience a diminished tenure if such exists.  So, there must be an absolute belief in and trust in a leader if this individual is to succeed in a leadership role.  And, I can think of no better way in which to evolve trust than to be proactive with open and honest communication … an ongoing sharing of both the good and the bad, of successes and failures, of right decisions and errors in judgment.  This and a tightly embraced belief that a leader and his or her elected & appointed leaders together constitute a team will generate the kind of trust that every leader needs in order to succeed.

In short, trust is everything … and it must be earned daily.

Author Cross-references:

Frank Crane: None

Steven H. Davis: Also see posts 9/26/09, 5/11/10

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Also see post 11/1/09

Samuel Johnson: None

Key Word Cross-references:

Authentic/Believable/Genuine: Also see posts 1/2/09, 1/28/09, 2/18/09, 2/25/09, 3/16/09, 10/26/09, 12/5/09, 1/4/10, 2/24/10

Inclusive/Open/Honest/Transparent: Also see posts 12/12/08, 4/20/09, 5/1/09, 7/7/09, 8/3/09, 10/26/09, 11/11/09, 1/29/10, 2/24/10

Team: Also see posts 1/13/09, 2/18/09, 4/20/09, 8/3/09, 1/6/10, 4/19/10

Trust: Also see posts 12/12/08, 12/16/08, 12/5/09, 2/18/10

Leadership … Continued Discussion 5/11/10

In this post I want to examine another quote from Ken Blanchard’s book The Heart of a Leader, which is absolutely filled with good guidance.  The quote in question is shared by Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale, and is taken from their coauthored book The Power of Ethical Management, another outstanding book.  Their words are as follows, “People with humility don’t think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less.”

Humility is a component of character that some might view as a weakness, especially those with overcharged ambition, but that I view as a strength. And this brings to mind a Hungarian proverb, “When ambition ends, happiness begins,” which in this instance I would alter to read, “when ambition is tempered with humility, all things are possible.” Doug Lennick and Fred Diel, in their article “Moral Intelligence for Successful Leadership,” in the spring 2006 issue of Leader to Leader, said something similar, “great leaders are both humble and ambitious.”

Although the buck stops at the corner office where the difficult decisions are made, no leader is omnipotent.  No leader has all the answers.  And, every leader makes mistakes.  The day the leader forgets that they are but one piece of the puzzle through which progress can be made, is the day that such leaders begin to lose their ability to lead effectively.  Humility is understanding that every piece of that puzzle is significant … no one piece more so than another.  If any one of those puzzle pieces is missing, there is no perfect ending … no best-possible resolution.  Effective leaders understand this and are fully willing to publicly embrace their vulnerability.  This is when a true sense of possibility becomes a common thread within a team, a staff, an organization … when there is a top-down and down-up philosophy that none of us is perfect and that it takes all of us to move forward to the extent possible.

George Arliss, an 1800s – 1900s English actor, author, playwright and film-maker who had great success in America, said it far better than can I, “Humility is the only true wisdom by which we prepare our minds for all the possible changes of life.” To lack humility or to have an insufficient ability to be humble is to go through life with blinders on … seeing only what our own eyes reveal.  Empowered and encouraged to participate by a leader’s humbleness, the vision of others can contribute a level of clarity that no single pair of eyes can envision.   Genuine humbleness, and it absolutely must be genuine, is one of the keys to opening the door to the realm of possibilities.

Humbleness, believing as much in others as in oneself and being fully in touch with ones own vulnerabilities, is a strength from which personal and collaborative excellence can emanate.  Humble leaders are those who set an example of accountability that, when replicated in others, can bread the kind of creative synergy that can overcome obstacles of any size.  But, it all starts with being honestly humble.

Author Cross-references:

George Arliss: None

Ken Blanchard: Also see posts 9/9/09, 4/19/10

Steven H. Davis: Also see post 9/26/09, 5/26/10

Fred Diel: Also see post 1/2/09

Doug Lennick: Also see post 1/2/09

Norman Vincent Peale: None

Key Word Cross-references:

Ambitious: Also see post 1/2/09

Humility/Humbleness: Also see post 1/2/09