Are you a Trusted Leader?

Leaders who can be trusted have a tremendous impact on those they influence.  Trust is certainly a part of the "level 5 leader" that Jim Collins refers to in "Good to Great."  

In a recent article, Dan McCarthy lists...The 20 signs that you can't be trusted as a Leader:

"Are you a trustworthy leader?  Take the assessment below.  Sure, everybody may do a few of these now and then.  However, if there’s a consistent pattern of multiple behaviors, then I’d say there’s a serious issue of trustworthiness.

1. You don’t do what you said you were going to do.
2. You over-promise and under-deliver.
3. You’re unpredictable and inconsistent.
4. You always seem to have a hidden agenda.
5. You’ll agree just to avoid conflict.
6. You never share anything personal about yourself.
7. You never seem to finish anything you start.
8. You have a reputation that says you can’t be trusted.
9. You’re never willing to take a stand.
10. You won’t listen.
11. You don’t seem interested in what’s important to others.
12. You gossip about other people and disclose confidential information.
13. You make decisions but don’t explain how and why you made the decision.
14. You often change your plans or mind and don’t tell others about it or explain why.
15. You come across as uncompassionate and insensitive.
16. You won’t admit your mistakes or acknowledge your weaknesses.
17. You misrepresent other’s views.
18. You’ll say anything to achieve your objectives and results.
19. You sugarcoat the truth.
20. You see others as a threat when they are successful or come up with good ideas."

And here are some quotes that you might enjoy: 

“Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work.” - Leadership Guru, Warren Bennis

“In leadership, there are no words more important than trust.  In any organization, trust must be developed among every member of the team if success is going to be achieved.” - Duke Basketball Head Coach, Mike Krzyzewski 

“The lion and the calf shall lie down together but the calf won’t get much sleep.” - Woody Allen

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.