We’ve been exploring one of the emerging, important leadership trends in 2008, Servant Leadership. The idea is not new, but the significance is just being understood.

One of the most significant leadership traits, especially for team leadership, is being able to build and maintain strong relationships. How is this accomplished?

The most important attribute that a leader needs to develop between him or her self, the individuals and the team is TRUST.  It’s more important than communication skills or even technical ability.

People will not be lead by someone they do not trust, not for very long, anyway. Someone may have the title of "leader", but unless the team trusts them, both individually and as a group, then it’s only a title and a block on an organization chart-purely positional and not very effective. This is what allows "natural leaders" to emerge from within a group.  Someone the team trusts emerges from within and has more effective power than the appointed leader.

So, how is trust developed? It happens over time, not overnight. It happens by demonstrating that you are trustworthy, not  by simply saying, "trust me". People and teams will usually allow a new leader a grace period of trust and during that short  window of opportunity the leaders trustworthiness must be demonstrated and the trust actually earned.

What’s the best way to earn trust? Two ways:
     ·Do what you say you’re going to do, and
     ·Total transparency.
People experience your trust by observing what you actually do, not what you say you’re going to do.

Why transparency?

People need to see all the actions leading up to a result, not just a result. They need to watch how you do things, how you make things happen, how you communicate. They need to experience how you deal with success and how you respond when things don’t go so well. If some action did not work as planned, then reveal it, and what you plan to do about it. Total open and honest communications and visibility to your actions is vital.

Nearly everyone has had the experience of a leader actually producing the goods-delivering results. Initially the team is pleased, excited that there is someone working for them. After a while, they find out there was some degree of subterfuge or deception, some ruse involved. If that occurs, all trust is abandon. Consider the recent circumstance with the former governor of New York.

We trust what we experience repeatedly.  A friend of mine has a great model to explain this. Suppose your friend has a dog and that dog is always friendly and loves to see you and loves that you pet him. You trust that the dog actions will always be friendly.

Suppose another friend also has a dog. With this dog, however, every time you’ve tried to pet it, he snarls and snaps at your hand. You know by its behavior, that it will always bite, so you respond accordingly. You may not like the dog, but you trust the dog.

But, suppose another friend’s dog is different. Sometimes he comes running to you seeking affection. Other times, the dog is temperamental and snaps at you. You never know what the dog will do when you meet, so you do not trust the dog.

Develop trust by being open, transparent, so others can see and experience what you’re doing. Do what you say you are going to. Then, deliver what you promised, or explain what happened, re-evaluate, correct the situation and move on.  Individuals and teams will respond by allowing the relationship to advance and deepen because they have observed you and have learned that your actions match your words and intentions.

Interested in exploring this further? Stephen M. R. Covey, son of Stephen R. Covey (7 Habits of Highly Successful People) has recently written the book "The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything". You’ll learn about the leverage trust creates and the incredible cost increase that occur when trust is not present. (Here’s a link if you’re interested:

http://www.amazon.com/SPEED-Trust-Thing-Changes-Everything/dp/074329730X)

I’d like to invite you to leave a comment below. Please follow the link to "Ask Stan" and leave a question if you have
something specific you would like to have addressed.

I always appreciate your comments and feedback.

E-Mail Stan Levanduski