Trust

Something that’s so important in changing organizations for the better is the whole concept of trust. As I’ve said before, trust and respect go together. There are some real trust issues that people are dealing with out there. Sometimes people are not sure that the leader necessarily respects them and seeks their opinions. The leader could even be making an effort to do that, but people may be suspicious because of past leaders. It’s so important. It doesn’t do you any good to be concerned or have an issue about something and not let the person working with you, or someone else, know about it, so something can be done about it. As the CEO of WD-40 Company, Garry Ridge, says, everything is a learning opportunity if it’s an issue we can learn from. So I hope you really listen to your people, respect them, and ask their opinions. Treat everyone you work with as teammates in this tough economic time, so you can trust each other and work together toward what you’re trying to accomplish. I love the old saying that there’s no “I” in TEAM, because it’s so true.

3 thoughts on “Trust

  1. What an appropriate day to discuss trust! I was reading about Christopher Columbus just now. I was impressed by the trust he earned from church leaders (who advised King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella), political figures, his crew, and the inhabitants of the New World. He had over twenty years of experience as a navigator and had led expeditions to places like Iceland, but the first trip to the islands of North America tested him and the crew on the issue of trust. So much was unknown. Columbus retained the trust of his stakeholders throughout four journeys to the New World. I wish I had a time capsule to study his leadership style. It probably wouldn’t meet today’s standards, but it was effective in his time.

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