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You know that “squinty eyed” feeling you get when you’re talking with someone you don’t entirely trust, don’t you? You put so much energy into figuring out where they’re coming from and what they really want, you’re not entirely listening to what they’re saying. Because you’re busy trying to guess their end-game you’re: Not fullyRead more

There’s so much talk about the importance of being “authentic”—the value of telling the truth about your thoughts and feelings. Why is authenticity such a big deal? Reflect on leaders you’ve been exposed to—who was great, who was not as great? I’ll bet the great leaders you’ve known were authentic and the not-as-great weren’t asRead more

The leaders we admire and align with are the leaders that we trust—and, when it comes to cranking up engagement, having your team members trust you is THE number one essential. It’s therefore essential that you’re alert to these two key ways you can immediately kill off your team members’ trust in you: Being emotionallyRead more

Seth Godin, the wise marketing guru whom I regularly quote, said, “the most important question isn’t”, for example, “is it reliable enough?” or “am I promising enough?” No, Seth said that the most important question is, “Do they trust me enough to believe my promises?” When I read these words I realised what a crucialRead more

Aaron’s the CEO of a financial organisation. Given the instability in the financial markets for the last two or three years, being in his role hasn’t been a bed of roses. However, the levels of trust people in his organisation have for him has grown markedly in this time. In contrast, Zach’s the CEO ofRead more

How can I make that statement with so much certainty? Well, imagine if we got everyone in your organisation together and asked them to anonymously respond to the question, “Do you think trust is very high throughout this organisation?” how many people would say “yes”? Don’t be too hard on yourself: In an international surveyRead more

I’ve noticed that “trust” isn’t generally something that’s formally assessed in organisations—and yet “when it’s good it’s very, very good, but when it’s bad it’s horrid.” Simply put, you wouldn’t be a very useful leader if your peers and your team members didn’t trust you implicitly!   Why Is It A Big Deal If There’sRead more

Your last two Leadership Bulletins examined how to tune teams for high performance. The questions they asked were: “When there’s conflict, where’s your finger pointing?” “Are your team members always wearing their team hat under the hat of their particular function or department?” This Bulletin will continue to help ensure you’re doing whatever you canRead more