Trust
The Importance of Trust in Leadership and Personal Branding
I have a friend named Web. Web was the Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer for an excellent men’s clothing startup by the name of Mizzen & Main (www.mizzenandmain.com). Recently he transitioned to starting an entirely new venture called Whence (beta.whence.co). What is Whence? I have no earthly idea and neither does anyone outside of the small founding team. Why do I care? I care because I trust Web to deliver an excellent and innovative product. I care because of the personal brand he has created for himself and what he chooses to dedicate his time to. Regardless of what his new venture is, or will grow to become, he has already ensured that most who know him will be an early adopter. This is because of the trust that his friends, colleagues, and customers place in him. Trust is everything.
Let’s explore this theme of trust in leadership deeper. One of the most profoundly important lessons I ever learned during my time in the Marine Corps is that Marines will go to the ends of the earth for you if they trust you. As their leader they had to trust me to take care of them through thick and thin. They had to trust that I cared more about their welfare than I did my own comfort. They had to trust that when I ordered them on a dangerous mission, and they were all dangerous, that I was not doing so needlessly. In fact, I have never seen anything impact morale more negatively in any organization I have ever been a part of than the erosion of trust between leader and follower. This trust goes both ways and is a vitally important part of success in any organization, be it a military unit, hospital, or sports team.
All too often nowadays we see leaders of all types that don’t take the trust of their followers seriously. There is an attitude that simply paying a person to do a job will result in the best of their abilities and the highest level of performance from the organization. Far too many leaders have forgotten that it takes much more to achieve greatness in your chosen endeavor. Leaders must first be the example for others to follow in all aspects of life. Trust is no different. If a leader demonstrates trust in their followers it will be returned to them tenfold. Leaders must take great care to make the creation of trust in their organization their personal responsibility.
From a business perspective, the trust that Web has earned from those that know him, either personally or professionally, will ensure a first round of potential brand ambassadors for Whence. The trust placed in a leader who has earned it allows for a certain degree of the unknown because the follower believes in the leader’s ability to deliver when necessary. One can see this theme throughout many aspects of our modern lives such as the annual unveiling of Apple’s consumer electronics or the ebb and flow of political machinations. The trust in the leaders responsible for delivery will ultimately spell outstanding success for anyone with the courage and fortitude to earn it and, most importantly, keep it.
Tell me about a leader that you trust. Tell me about a time that trust got you or your team through a difficult time.
Best of luck to you in all that you do,
Dave
Check out the companies I mentioned!
Dave Bradt 