How Important is Trust?

Do You Trust The Makers Of Candy Cigarettes?
Do You Trust The Makers Of Candy Cigarettes?

Trust is often placed on the list of top leadership skills, while people are compiling key leadership skills and attributes.

How important is trust when stacked up against all the other critical leadership values?

Ever ponder the top key leadership values great leaders possess? Are you now? Good. Here are some that always make the list:

  • Vision
  • Communication
  • Results
  • Inspiration
  • Integrity
  • Trust
  • Experience
  • Relationships
  • Recognition
  • Passion
  • Focus

What do you say is your number one leadership trait?

For me, it’s trust. Everything else revolves around this simple, and often overlooked leader character trait. I place trust ahead of passion, because a leader may have passion, but people mistrust motives, for example.

If you really think about it, how can anything else matter without trust?

Next Blog

Four Tips to Be World Class

How does a person or an organization become world class, and stay world class? Here are four tips to do just that.  First, however we need to state the obvious:

It’s a double edge sword isn’t it?  If consistency is the hallmark or quality, and continuous improvement is the key to becoming (and sustaining) world class status, how do you balance risk and reward?

Let’s use this example from yesterday.

As a professional speaker, there are several goals for every presentation:

  • Give a speech to change the world
  • Never give the same speech twice
  • Ask great questions
  • Get the audience to reveal the key points

Let’s review from a different angle, what you just read:

  • Have passion and faith that impossible is possible
  • Be authentic, not going through the motions
  • Know where you want to go and be prepared to get there
  • Lead, don’t manage

The second set of bullet points states the common sense theories that we all nod our heads in agreement when we hear them.

The first set illustrates how I internalized these common sense things to make them work for my particular role in the business world.

Now it’s your turn. Take the four common sense bullet points and make them your own.  Tomorrow, I’ll share how practicing what I preach led to an amazing result.

You don’t have to any of this.  And maybe that’s a leader’s biggest challenge, doing what’s easier rather than what’s harder.  So here’s a fifth tip – being world class means out working your competition.  Most people hate to admit this.  And then they wonder why they aren’t world class.


What Do These Have In Common?

What do these have in common:

  • Bill Clinton
  • Prime Time TV
  • Jesse Jackson
  • Tabloids
  • Government
  • Newspapers
  • Internet sites
  • Social Media

The list goes on and on.  All of these have pushed society’s buttons on what is acceptable.

Sex, Racism, Prejudice, Greed, Corruption, Religion, Politics, Crudeness, Aggression, Violence.

All of these things or people have pushed the limits of acceptable boundaries.  But it’s Social Media that intrigues me the most.  Why?

  • Because of it’s power to change things
  • Because of it’s ease of use
  • Because of it’s reach
  • Because it’s use is growing exponentially

Except in the corporate landscape.  People who lead big corporations are usually older, and stereotypically, unaware (and maybe intimidated) of emerging social media trends and possibilities.

Where do you fall in this mix?  And, more importantly, what do you plan to do?

Creativity means what?

What are the big two, three or four key drivers for you and your leadership behavior?

I believe in innovation, technology and global reach.

I’m curious by nature, so let me please ask you, “Did you have an immediate answer”?

Great if you did.  If you didn’t, imagine the unbelievable potential you have to get, and stay, focused.

Curious still.  If you do have a list, how many others know of it? How often do you focus on it?

Bottom Line?  How important is focus?

Million-dollar question……how focused are you?

Today is an excellent day to make your list or revisit your list.  If not today, when?  If not you, who?  Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

Better Business Blogging? (bonus?)

Just posted a new Page today and thought some of you may be interested.  It’s called Better Business Blogging 101.

Many of you won’t find it useful, because you already have been blogging much longer than I have, and, you’ll find it to be too lengthy.   Others might be intrigued by the approach I’ve taken and profit from it.

However, if you’d like to offer any professional advice, it will be accepted in the spirit it was asked for, sincerely and with great intent.

Do what you fear and the death of that fear is certain.  Carpe diem, jungle jeff  🙂