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The Leading Edge: What Matters
Volume 1 | Issue 3May 2010
Welcome to Issue #3 of The Leading Edge, a bimonthly e-letter from Leadership Development Services. In the last issue we discussed Building Relationships. This month, we explore issues of trust because when it comes to leadership, trust really matters.
Trust Matters
The New York Times recently defined a good workplace as one where "management trusts the employees and where employees trust the management."   Polls collaborate this. When asked about what matters to them employees consistently put trust on the top of the list.  In fact, in a recent large employee survey, 91% of employees sited "being trusted to get a job done" as the #1 factor that that made them feel successful and satisfied in their job.  Twenty years of research at the Great Place to Work Institute reveals further evidence that trust between managers and employees is the defining characteristic of the very best workplaces.
 
Trust does matter, and not just to employees, but also to the success of the organization.  In his best-selling book, The Speed of Trust, Stephen M. Covey states that it is trust that leads to business success.  His formula for trust begins with the leader demonstrating four characteristics:

INTEGRITY + INTENT + CAPABILITIES + RESULTS = TRUST
 
INTEGRITY 
Description: Your character and honesty
What it means: Telling the truth and straight talk
 
INTENT
Description: Your plan, purpose and motives
What it means: Doing right and doing good
 
CAPABILITIES
Description: Your talent, skill, knowledge and style
What it means: Being competent and respectful
 
RESULTS
Description: Your track record
What it means: Being reliable and consistent over time
 
When leaders demonstrate these four characteristics, they inspire others and strengthen relationships. Integrity, Intent, Capability and Results each play a key role in building trust.
Leadership In Action
Honestly assess your team. 
  • Do people openly give each other honest, candid feedback?
  • Is feedback welcomed and integrated?
  • Do team members share recognition and praise or do they position themselves for credit?
  • Are team members comfortable openly disagreeing with each other during meetings?
  • Are people treated equally fairly and spoken to respectfully?
  • Do people follow through with commitments and is there accountability and consequence if they do not? 
 
Are You Trustworthy? 
Can you answer yes to each of the following items?
  1. I always follow through on the things I commit to do.
  2. I always say what I believe rather than what I think people want to hear.
  3. I always keep confidences and I don't talk about employees behind their back.
  4. I always share information - good and bad - with the people who need to have it.
  5. I always listen to people and take time to ask for their opinions.
Something to Think About:
Three Things You Can Do Immediately to Build Trust
  1. Listen to others! Spend more time asking then telling;
  2. Three Things You Can Do IMagePraise others! Spend more time recognizing rather than blaming; 
  3. Empower others! Spend more time delegating than doing
Digging Deeper:
Resources 
 
Building Trust
 
Visit our new Center for Mentoring Excellence to find out more about tools and training you can use to promote individual and organizational mentoring excellence. While you are there check out the details for our day-long mentoring workshop (Mentoring: Raising the Bar on Performance) in Chicago on May 26, 2010.
What's Coming In July:
Listening Matters  
  1. How well do you listen?
  2. Why is it so hard to listen?
  3. How can I get better at listening?
  4. Are you listening when the telephone rings? 
Chicago SkylineThe Center for Mentoring Excellence is offering a full day workshop focused on helping you raise the bar on your mentoring performance. Don't miss this opportunity to learn with authors Dr. Lois Zachary and Lory Fischler as they take you through a dynamic interactive process to guide your thinking and development as a mentoring partner. Click here for more information
About Leadership Development Services

We help individuals and organizations achieve excellence through leadership development. To do this, we provide customized training, facilitation, consultation, and coaching services (on-site and virtual) that improve the quality of leadership and mentoring. We partner with clients to create sustainable mentoring support structures and processes and roadmaps for creating a mentoring culture. We offer innovative and comprehensive leadership development programs to enhance individual and organizational learning and accountability. Our long-standing relationships with clients around the world are  testimony to our ability to facilitate results that matter. 

In This Issue
Trust Matters
Leadership In Action
Something to Think About
Digging Deeper
Quick Links
 
 
Visit Our Blog
  
 
Check back with our blog every Wednesday for these upcoming topics
 
Trusting Yourself
 
Circle of Trust
 
Rebuilding Trust