leaders build trust with their team and the organization. central in this discourse is the idea that whether or not we trust god depends on our untestable faith; however, whether or not we trust human beings and can be trusted depends on our testable beliefs. consequently, trust takes us to the realm of postmodern ethics, which demands from us responsibility for our choices and accountability for all of the consequences of our actions, including the unintended but predictable ones.[1]
STOP . . . i encourage you to re-read the previous sentence. this issue of trust is paramount; it demands responsibility from leaders for choices made and accountability for all the consequences of our actions . . . including the unintended but predictable ones. our actions may have truly been unintended but predictable because of carelessness, unpreparedness, lack of vigilance, etc. whatever the reason, this breach will have devastating consequences. once trust is broken, it may take years for a leader to regain it from his or her followers, if it is ever regained.
for the organization, leaders build trust by clearly articulating direction and then consistently implementing strategies and processes needed even through there may be a high degree of uncertainty concerning the vision. bennis and nanus discovered that, “when leaders established trust in an organization, it gave the organization a sense of integrity analogous to a healthy identity.”[2] this is an interesting dynamic we must embrace.
please do not treat this lightly. if we cannot be trusted, if we fail to walk with integrity and godly character, the very gospel we proclaim will be rejected or made suspect because of our failure to live what we teach.
(from my book titled for the sake of the house)
[1] Strassberg, Barbara A. 2005; Fortieth Anniversary Symposium: science, religion, and secularity in a technological society. Zygon, Vol. 40, No. 2, p. 307-322.
[2] Bennis, Warren G. and Nanus, Burt. Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge. New York, NY, Harper and Row, 1985, p. 48.