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?

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Wasn’t Looking for This

Writing five blogs every day has wonderful, and may I audaciously say, transformational benefits.  Far beyond what was ever thought possible.  And yet….

What comes along with the good – and everyone knows this as a “truth” – is the bad.  The bad in this case is writers block.  My first little bout came and went a few days ago.  It lasted a couple days.  Triggered mostly by time pressures, not lack of desire.

Anyway, following a daily routine of scanning Facebook, Twitter, LnkedIn, blogs, etc, I stumbled upon a LinkedIn status update.

Susan Harrow’s article, Changing Your Body Changes Your Self, is definitely worth a quick read.  Why?  Because she speaks about what is common knowledge, but not common practice.

One of the best ways to change our bodies is to use common sense. One of the best ways to use common sense is to focus on it every day. Ya with me?  Every single day.  Period.  Carpe diem.

Motivation Is Like A Meal

Motivation is like a meal.  Seriously.  But we all forget.

Should an Annual Conference’s motivational effects last all year?

Should monthly meetings keep teams inspired all month?

Weekly meetings?  Will the excitement last all week?

Daily meetings?  All day?

After breakfast, most humans are ready to be nourished again at lunch. Even after two decent meals, most are ready for a third meal in the evening.

We even throw in snacks to help sustain us. Why?

Because motivation, inspiration and excitement begin to subside within hours, just like meals.

Do you have any idea what this means to you and me as effective leaders?

Our Similarities Are Different

MBA – If you have one, are getting one, or plan to in the future, an MBA carries a certain clout.

People seek clout for a variety of reasons.  Mostly, it would seem, to advance their career and their paycheck.

In a competitive world, key advantages make for good strategy.  But because everyone knows an MBA increases one’s chances over one without an MBA, you’d think more people would actually get an MBA.

So why don’t they?  Not sure.  In fact, it’s really inconsequential.

The MBA I’m pursuing is for the same reasons, but the approach I’m taking is a completely different strategy than anyone else I know.

Seems our similarities are different.

jungle jeff MBA

jungle jeff MBA.  Who woulda thought, after all these years, I’d be returning to school to get an MBA?

Why do people return to school after decades of real-world leadership experience?  Many reasons to be sure.

The main reason is the pursuit of a better way of life.  Can you imagine, “Nope, heading back to school because I have all this extra time and money.  Plus, I’m bored stiff just sitting around”?.

Dude, seriously, we need to talk.  It don’t happen like this.  In fact, my story is almost a fairy tale of a completely different sort.

My professor is crazy.  He’s cool, but tough.  On the first day, he told me everyone who attends his class has three years to do something that no other MBA requires….