Lesson 3: You Can’t Lead without Trust

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In his book, The Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey writes: "Trust is the one thing that changes everything. The lack of it can bring down governments, cripple businesses (and churches) and destroy relationships. Conversely, when cultivated it has the potential to bring unparalleled effectiveness."  – Stephen M.R. Covey -The Speed of Trust
Covey says that Trust is THE KEY leadership competency in the new global economy.

High-trust organizations are able to move quickly and adapt rapidly. Conversely, low trust organizations get stuck. When people are more concerned about covering their rears, whether they will be punished, or that people will react badly to their ideas, they tend not to bring their whole selves to the situation.

In a high trust organization, people are able to share openly and are able to disagree constructively. They are open to the ideas of others, because of what they have in common through their relationships and their common goals.
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In his book, The Infinite Game, Simon Sinek writes: “In weak cultures, people find safety in the rules. This is why we get bureaucrats. They believe a strict adherence to the rules provides them with job security. And in the process, they do damage to the trust inside and outside the organization. In strong cultures, people find safety in relationships. Strong relationships are the foundation of high-performing teams. And all high-performing teams start with trust.” 

The challenge is this. Trust takes time to build and is easy to destroy. That's why it's so important to keep trust-building at the front of your mind.

There are two ways to build trust. The first is to Be trustworthy. Do what you say you are going to do. Underpromise and overdeliver. People will trust you when they know they can believe what you say.

The second way to build trust is to Extend trust to others. This may seem counterintuitive because we are taught to believe that people must earn our trust. However, if we don’t trust others, because of the fear of being burned, they are less likely to trust us. 

My own experience is that the number of times that somebody I’ve trusted has betrayed that trust has been so small that it pales in comparison to the amount of trust that has been developed in relationships because I’ve extended trust to others.

In his book, The Infinite Game, Simon Sinek writes: “In weak cultures, people find safety in the rules. This is why we get bureaucrats. They believe a strict adherence to the rules provides them with job security. And in the process, they do damage to the trust inside and outside the organization. In strong cultures, people find safety in relationships. Strong relationships are the foundation of high-performing teams. And all high-performing teams start with trust.”

The saying goes, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is today.
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If you want your church to be flexible and resilient in uncertain times, then focus on building trust. It takes time. But you can’t lead without it.

The Center for Vital Leadership is a ministry of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Conferences

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