THE 6:8 LEADER GROUP
Act Justly | Love Mercy | Walk Humbly

Trust

Trust Everyone, But Cut the Cards

A friend once told me he was concerned that his boss, the CEO, was not telling the Board of Directors the truth.  That is a terrible place to be in any organization, and one I would not wish on my worst enemy.

If you are a member of the Board, how do you know your CEO is telling you the truth?

“Well,” you say, “we trust him.”  Or, “We’ve known her for a long time.”  Or, “He’s my wife’s brother.”

Really?

I believe in the power of trust, and think it is the key to great leadership, but as a Director, you are accountable to the moral ownership of the organization, and the CEO is accountable to you.

So, how do you answer the question, “How do you really know your CEO is telling you the truth?”  John Carver in Reinventing Your Board, suggests three ways a Board can acquire accountability data:

(a) by internal reports, in which the CEO discloses compliance information to the Board,

(b) by external reports, in which an external, disinterested third party selected by the Board to assess compliance with board policies, and

(c) by direct board inspection, in which a designated member or members of the Board assess compliance with the appropriate policy criteria.”

The problem with Boards is it is easy to get lazy and only look at the internal reports–a report created by or under the direction of the CEO–and not look at the external reports and direct inspection that are needed to get a true picture of the CEO’s performance in achieving the “Ends” of the organization.

Carver reminds us that the “Board members and CEO are colleagues.”  The relationship is “collegial, not hierarchical.”  However, the Board’s desires must be clear, and the CEO response must be in compliance with those desires.  Both have a job to do and need to be “personally responsible” for the job they do.

They also need to be “cumulatively responsible,” or as Carver puts it, “accountable for the total contribution and compliance of his or her team, however extensive that team might be.”  How will you know if the CEO is accountable? Start using your entire accountability toolkit: internal reports, external reports, and direct inspection.

No Trust. No Team.

http://www.dreamstime.com/-image21017924We trust people when we are comfortable with how they respond to others and how they do their job.  Its is the blending of competence with character.  But it isn’t as simple as trusting and not trusting.  It is also how much we trust.  You see, there are some people we trust a little and only in certain situations.  There are other people we trust a lot, any where and any time.  The goal on a team is to develop a lot of trust not just a little.

Here are four things that contribute to high trust:

1. High trust means we understand one another’s job and potential contribution.  To trust a lot we need to take time to get to know one another.

2. High trust means we accept or approve of someone, even though that person may be very unlike us.  It only comes from shared experiences, a sense of mission, and success.

3. High trust means we respect others and show no partiality for one person’s role over that of another.  It means we show honor and esteem for the contributions of others.

4. High trust means we listen and respond to one another.  Don’t bully and don’t ignore.  Neither will get you what you want.

I’ve adapted the following from “The Performance Factor” by Pat MacMillan to show how everything the leader does is critical to building a trusting team.  Pat identified six keys to building a high performance team.  Each one impacts the amount of trust expressed on a team.  What Pat calls cooperation, I call trust.

1.Common purpose provided the reason for trust.

2.  Clear roles provide the strategy for trust.

3. Accepted leadership provides the structure for trust.

4. Effective processes provides the methods for trust.

5. Solid relationships provide the climate for trust.

6. Excellent communications provided the means for trust.

What you do as a leader, impacts your team.  And it can build the kind of trust others will envy.

Four Pillars of Leadership

http://www.dreamstime.com/-image7435618“Leadership is defined not by the scale of the opportunity but by the quality of the response.”  Chris Lowney

There is one promise you MUST make as a leader, and it is the promise to lead.  That may sound strange, but many leaders have abdicated their primary responsibility of leading and have become self absorbed, self serving, and, dare I say it, unloving.

In 2003, Chris Lowney, a former Jesuit turned investment banker, wrote a great book titled Heroic Leadership.  A principle that showed up early in his book and continued to be a theme throughout was that “we’re all leaders and that our whole lives are filled with leadership opportunities.”   He goes on to say “We can be leaders in everything we do–in our work and in our daily lives, when teaching others or learning from others.”

If leadership is something we can all do and it is not just for those “atop companies” or “on stage at work,” then we all need to understand what it is, and we all need to make a promise to the people in our lives that we will be that kind of leader.

Chris Lowney’s “Four Core Leadership Pillars,” those principles that become the heart of our promise to lead, are as follows:

  1. Self Awareness: I will understand my strengths, weaknesses, values, and worldview.
  2. Ingenuity: I will confidently innovate and adapt to embrace a changing world.
  3. Love: I will engage others in a positive, loving attitude.
  4. Heroism: I will energize myself and others through heroic ambition.

You can never promise certainty.  However, you can always promise to live your values, and you can make the promise to be a leader.  Make that promise to your team, or your students, or your family today.

How Do You Measure Up As A Leader?

dreamstime_s_29084717A study by the United States Office of Personnel Management identified four core qualities that they say you should look for in the selection of any senior executives.  How do you think you would measure up to their criteria?  Lets’ find out.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being “never true about you” and 5 being “always true about you,” rank your own leadership behavior.  Not what you think is true, but what you know is true as seen by your behaviors and by their results.  Then, if you dare, ask someone who knows you very well, to rank you.  The four core qualities as identified by the OPM are as follows:

Interpersonal skills:  Do I treat others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect?  Do I consider and respond appropriately to the needs and feelings of different people in different situations?

Communication skills:  Do I write and speak in a clear, concise, organized and convincing manner for the intended audience?  Do I listen effectively, clarifying information when needed?

Demonstrated integrity:  Do I behave in an honest, fair, and ethical manner?  Do I show consistency in words and actions?

Continual learning:  Do I assess and recognize my own strengths and weaknesses?  Do I pursue self-development?

A Promise You Need to Make

http://www.dreamstime.com/-image18123218Your organization, donors, and team all need to hear you say what it is you will do and what you will not do. They need to know where you stand and what you stand for.

While there are some things you cannot promise, no matter what your organization does or delivers, you can always promise to live your values. Make it clear what guides your head and your heart, and then make a promise to always follow the guidance they provide. If you don’t know where else to start, try the following values found in Micah 6:8:

Justice: I will be fair and reasonable in the way I treat people and make decisions.

Kindness: I will be sympathetic, compassionate and understanding.

Humility: I will be modest and respectful, always looking for the best in others.

If you want to go further, look between the lines of Micah 6:8 and you will find supporting virtues for each of the values.

Authenticity: If I truly value justice and kindness, I will be authentic, genuine, truthful and transparent.

Generosity: If I truly value kindness and humility, I will be generous, willing to help, or give freely.

Restraint: If I truly value humility and justice, I will be restrained and disciplined in personal and public activities.

A Promise You Cannot Make

Even though promises are important, there are some promises a leader cannot make.  Peter Block, in his book Stewardship, talks about dealing with the cynic and the danger of making promises you cannot keep, no matter how much they demand it.

“Cynics lack faith and what they seek is a promise.  In the context of an institution, cynicism expresses disbelief that management will do what it says it will do.  The cynic in each of us demands to be convinced that this time it will be different.  Cynics demand a promise as a cure to their lack of faith, and the promise they want is certainty.  They want us to reassure them that we can provide a safe and successful future.  We have to be very careful about the promise that we make, for if we do not deliver, the next round of cynicism will have been born.  As much as we wish, we cannot promise a safe future and we cannot promise that the reform we are proposing will satisfy any one person or unit.  The promise cynics look for cannot be given.  We cannot choose adventure, and then promise safety to get people to come with us.”  (Peter Block)

The bad news is that cynics are everywhere.  The good news is that many people want to take that leap of faith.  They are just looking for someone who will take that leap with them.  The message here for the leader is don’t let the cynic keep you from doing the right thing.

Peter Block suggest the following as a guide for dialogue with the cynic:

1. Acknowledge the other’s position.

2. State the choice for faith and commitment in the face of our own reservations.

3. Invite the same choice from the other person.

Older Posts