Last time we were looking at the issue of leadership. We looked at the issue of mobilization. The leader must be a mobilizer of men and resources. The leader must mobilize his followers to achieve the purpose of the group. No one can be a leader without the ability to mobilize.
“The leader is one who mobilizes others toward a goal shared by leaders and followers. … Leaders, followers and goals make up the three equally necessary supports for leadership.” Gary Wills
Mobilisation involves the leader earning the trust of his followers. There is no way a person can lead people who do not trust him.
Where there is no trust in the team it is just a matter of time before disintegration sets in.
“There is a difference between being a leader and being a boss. Both are based on authority. A boss demands blind obedience; a leader earns his authority through understanding and trust.” Klaus Balkenhol
Where there is trust, authority is never abused but used for the good of the group and the individual members. Everybody, both the leader and the led, are on the same page . . . the good of all.
“Leadership must be based on goodwill. Goodwill does not mean posturing and, least of all, pandering to the mob. It means obvious and wholehearted commitment to helping followers. We are tired of leaders we fear, tired of leaders we love, and of tired of leaders who let us take liberties with them. What we need for leaders are men of the heart who are so helpful that they, in effect, do away with the need of their jobs. But leaders like that are never out of a job, never out of followers. Strange as it sounds, great leaders gain authority by giving it away.” Admiral James B. Stockdale
We cannot overemphasize the importance of trust in leadership. Nobody will feel free and be at his best in an atmosphere of mistrust; hence a leader must make the building of trust a priority.
Once vision is defined by the leader his first priority is to build and inspire trust in his followers. The truth of the matter is that nobody can be a leader without trust.
“The very first job of a leader is to inspire trust. Trust is the single most essential element to our ability to deliver extraordinary results in an enduring way. Trust is integrity to building high-performance because it enables an organization to work as it should; it’s the first defense against dysfunction and the first step towards delivering better outcomes. As we work to continuously improve our leadership, we are inspired by the thought leadership of others who also revere building trust as a critical mission.” Conant Leadership
Trust creates authenticity and authenticity creates freedom which in turns encourages people to put in their best.
“Authenticity is the alignment of head, mouth, heart, and feet – thinking, saying, feeling, and doing the same thing – consistently.” Lance Secretan
Trust means the followers know the leader is with them all the way. They know the leader has a stake in not only what happens to the group but to the individual followers.
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