Your Roadmap to More Effective Leadership

Select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.                        

Jethro to Moses in Exodus 18:21 (NIV)

They could find no corruption in (Daniel), because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.                                                         

Daniel 6:4 (NIV)

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 

From the Parable of the Shrewd Manager, Luke 16:10-11 (NIV)

Often, when leaders want to initiate significant change to increase effectiveness within the organization, they simply say, “We are your leaders. Trust us. This change will be good and will allow us to be much more productive.” If you have to tell someone to trust you, it is probably because you sense that they do not trust you and you already see that it will be difficult to get them to follow you where you know the organization needs to go.

How to turn the ship around

Trust does not come automatically with positional leadership. Trust grows out of one’s character and is only given to those who have proven themselves to be trustworthy.  Trying to initiate massive change without trust will create massive doses of stress at every level of the organization. Eventually, the changes will take place, but at a much higher cost than if trust had been built first. It can be likened to a ship moving forward in one direction at cruising speed when the captain suddenly calls out, “Reverse all engines! Full steam reverse!” Such action might get them going in the opposite direction rapidly, but a lot of people will be picking their teeth out of the bulkhead and the repair bill is going to be astronomical! 

On the other hand, if the proper steps are taken in the proper order, the ship can be turned around and headed in the opposite direction with few casualties and the ultimate goal of increased effectiveness and productivity can be reached and sustained for a much longer period. It might take a little more time, but the long-term results will be much more positive.

Transformational Leadership Model

One of the best models I have seen that illustrates this is Lee Ross’ Transformational Leadership Model from Lead Like Jesus. The cyclical model demonstrates how to get to the desired effectiveness in the organization. (Stephen Covey used concentric circles to describe a similar process in Principle-Centered Leadership.)

1. Personal Leadership – Trustworthiness (Character)

Personal leadership is the first, essential step toward organizational effectiveness. This is where character is built and core values of the individual are established. If there are character flaws in the leader, it will be difficult for the members of the organization to trust and follow that leader to greater levels of effectiveness and productivity in the organization. Character traits such as integrity, honesty and trustworthiness are essential to building trust. 

Leadership skills can be learned; character comes from within. How many times have you seen someone lose their temper and say something hurtful, and then became apologetic saying, “I’m sorry I acted that way. I’m really not like that.” My response to that is, “Oh, yes you are.” Your words and behavior are true indicators of the character within.

2. One-on-One Leadership – Trust (Relationships)

Without the personal integrity of trustworthiness, we cannot be effective at the next level, One-on-One Leadership, where trust is built.  Trust and interpersonal relationships are built on the inner core of trustworthiness and personal integrity. If people do not see you consistently demonstrating your trustworthiness, you can forget any hope of being trusted.

Trust in an organization can only be built by trustworthy individuals as they relate to others one-on-one. Obviously, we have to work to build trust, not only in leadership, but also one with another at every level of the organization.  Whenever I hear anyone complain about the lack of trust in their organization, I immediately ask, “So what are you doing to build trust?” I often get a puzzled look in reaction, especially if the individual is not in top leadership of the organization. Even if you are not in top leadership, you can still play a vital role by proving you can be trusted because you are trustworthy in your interpersonal relations with colleagues, with your leaders, and with the people you lead.

Some key lessons about building trust:

·         Words and behavior reveal true character.

·         Trust is a delicate, fragile item.

·         Trust is slowly built and quickly broken.

·         Trust is even more slowly, if ever, rebuilt.

·         Forgiving and trusting are not the same.

·         Generational issues affect trust.

·         The erosion of trust affects organizational productivity dramatically.

(Adapted From Ken Williams, Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills Workshop)

3. Team Leadership – Community (Empowerment)

The next level is Team Leadership with a desired outcome of community.  Covey labeled this the managerial level where empowerment takes place.  Again, if the leader has not demonstrated competency at the two previous stages, he or she cannot effectively empower others and community will not be built. Obviously, a leader will not empower someone he or she does not trust. By like sign, followers will not feel comfortable with their empowered responsibility if they do not feel they can trust their leaders to back them up, support them, and encourage them to succeed.

4. Organizational Leadership – Effectiveness (Alignment)

The final stage of leadership is at the organizational level that seeks a desired outcome of effectiveness through alignment. Alignment includes being sure the organization is moving in the right direction to meet its stated purpose and goals as well as the alignment of  individual and team goals with the broader goals of the organization.  Leaders often want to take a shortcut to increase organizational effectiveness, but the leadership road is one-way only and to get to this level, you must build on the previous three levels.

We cannot achieve organizational alignment and maximum effectiveness if we have not built the organization on the DNA of trust that grows out of an intrinsic trustworthiness and that demonstrates a willingness to empower individuals throughout the organization. Each level must build on the previous one. Increased effectiveness in the organization will also foster the growth of personal leadership in the people who make up the organization.

One-Way Communication is not Enough.

Systemic problems in every organization seem to always include communication problems within the organization.  One of the main reasons communication breaks down is lack of trust. This is true both in interpersonal relations and in organizational structure.

Even if communication is flowing freely within the organization, if it is not also accompanied by a large dose of empowerment and community building at every level, the workers will develop a sense of frustration to the point that they will conclude that it might be better to just not communicate. Empowerment and community are developed at the team level and, again, the heart of the solution is in the issue of trust. 

If people feel they can communicate in an environment of mutual trust, there will be three long-term results: 1) job satisfaction among personnel will improve dramatically; 2) the organization will achieve greater alignment between the individual goals of its personnel and the organization’s goals; and that will result in 3) increased productivity and organizational effectiveness. (See an example of this in the next article later this week.)

Practical Assignment

Take a personal retreat and reflect on who you are, whose you are, and what you need to do to develop your character and build trust. How trustworthy do you think the people consider you to be? What can you do to prove your trustworthiness, grow trust in the organization, build community in your team, and contribute to the general effectiveness of your organization?

Hint to Leaders

Since the essence of leadership is influencing others, the best leaders become experts at developing and maintaining good interpersonal skills. While you need the people you lead to help you reach your goals and the objectives of your organization, remember they are not just objects or resources to be used. They are people who need to feel valued and respected. They will follow your leadership if they trust you to lead them to fulfill their personal visions and goals as they contribute to the goals and objectives of the organization. (More about that later in a future article on Organizational Alignment.)

Hint to Followers

Trust and communication are two way streets. Some followers don’t feel comfortable addressing their leader with issues and problems. Instead they assume that the leader does not want to hear their input. As mentioned last week, the follower’s input is essential to help leaders make better decisions. If the leader has a blind side and the follower is not willing to address that issue with the leader, then trust in the leader will erode and both you and others in the organization will suffer. Take a risk to talk to your leader about issues that affect trust.

© Dr. Larry N. Gay, January 2010