To build trust a leader must be…
T – TEACHABLE
People will trust you more if you remain teachable. Don’t pretend to be an expert on everything. Just because you are the leader doesn’t mean you are the smartest person in the room. Learn your strengths and those of your team members, then leverage them to make the team successful. Give people the opportunity to teach you and they will trust you.
R – REPETITIVE
Trust comes through repetition. Your team needs to know that they can count on you for consistent communication. They need you to show up when you say you are going to show up. They need you to come to meetings prepared. They need you to do these things more than once. Show people they can count on you and they will trust you.
U – UNSELFISH
There is probably nothing more caustic to a team than a selfish leader. On the flip side, there is nothing more nurturing to a team than an unselfish one. People will follow you all day long if they can see that you are in it because you care about them and that you are passionate about the vision. Lead people by serving, and they will trust you.
S – STRATEGIC
In our busy culture, we have to have a strategy for building our teams. Don’t feel like you have to develop a school of leadership or an internship program. Just start with a simple strategy like reading a leadership book with your team and discussing it together. Making small investments consistently over time is the best way to grow your team members as leaders. Strategically invest in people and they will trust you.
T – TOGETHER
This is the most powerful secret for building trust and investing in leaders. As a leader, try to never do anything alone. In everything you do, no matter how mundane, take someone along. We could spend our whole lives as leaders frustrated that we don’t have enough time to develop trust or invest in our team members, but we don’t need extra time. We just need to use the time we already have more wisely. This is what Jesus modeled with the “come follow me” method. Let people into the process. Let them see you deliberating. Let them see you creating and brainstorming. Let them see you struggling. Let people see you leading and they will trust you.
Invest in the people you lead and I promise you will have an account full of trust. Then, when you are ready to take the next big step, you can draw from that account and they will follow wherever you lead them.
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