Day 15: Trustworthy or Treacherous: What’s Your Leadership Driver?

According to recent studies, trust in organizational leadership is hitting rock bottom, with only 21% of employees expressing trust and confidence in their leaders' abilities and competencies. Trends reveal that the confidence factor is declining, going from 24% in 2019 (which is already pretty bad) to the current 21%.? Furthermore, a significant percentage of employees cite lack of trust in leadership as a primary reason for disengagement, increased turnover, and reduced productivity. This waning trust in leadership in America is impacting the workplace, community organizations, and churches in an alarming way. In a nutshell, leadership is losing its capacity to connect to and inspire those they lead. That's a problem!

Welcome to Day 15 of our Proverbs 31 leadership journey. Today, we shine a spotlight on the indispensable pillars of trust and credibility in leadership, and the pitfalls that undermine that foundation. Trust is the foundation upon which strong relationships, effective communication, and cohesive teamwork are built. It is defined as a belief in the probability that a person will behave in ways that inspire and promote truth; a mental attitude towards the proposition that someone is dependable and reliable.

The Challenge of Faith in Leadership Trust

Leaders of faith often face unique challenges in building and maintaining trust and credibility, because of the perception that they are overly trusting and may not have what it takes to be strong leaders. For these leaders who are successful, their posture must encompass a unique set of principles whereby they align their leadership role and expectations with that of their Christian values. Oftentimes, therein lies a real challenge for committed faith filled leaders when it comes to trust and credibility.

They must deal with those who have a misperception that leaders of faith may be pushovers or overly compassionate when it comes to dealing with problems, issues, and challenging situations. This is when they must stand strong on their faith-based principles while dealing with directives that may not align with their faith. Although many leaders of faith often feel lonely on their leadership journey, no matter the difficulties, they must model forgiveness and grace while standing strong in their leadership authority in building their trust and credibility foundation.

The Importance of Trust and Credibility in Leadership

Trust and credibility are non-negotiable elements of effective leadership, serving as the bedrock upon which successful teams and organizations are built. Leaders who inspire trust and confidence among their team members foster a culture of collaboration, openness, and mutual respect. This is where individuals with a strong faith foundation has an advantage. Although they may deal with misperceptions by some, when they consistently exhibit their strong ethical foundation of Christian values in their interactions, their team members generally perceive them as more trustworthy, compassionate, and honest.

Conversely, leaders who lack credibility erode trust, breed skepticism, and sow discord within their teams.? Lack of trust in leadership has been deemed the biggest component that undermines employee engagement, meeting expectations and productivity, and achieving overall goals. Lack of trust leads to minimized communication, fear of a leader's responses to adverse situations, minimized transparency, negative impact to brand loyalty, and ultimately can lead to a toxic work environment.

Avoid Trust Traps: Common Pitfalls in Building Credibility

Leaders often unwittingly undermine their team's capacity to trust them through their detrimental actions and behaviors. Some of the most destructive include:

1.???? Self-Orientation: Leaders who put a higher priority on their personal desires above those of their team members immediately begin to build a foundation of mistrust. When it's all about you ... followers realize it quickly.

2.???? Control and Micromanaging: leaders who make it clear that they do not trust their staff will never be able to build trust. Demanding to always be in control shows a level of mistrust in staff that they will never forgive.

3.???? Lack of Transparency: Leaders who withhold information, fail to communicate openly, and are dishonest with their team members erode trust and breed suspicion. It only takes one time and you're done!

4.???? Inconsistency and Unreliability: Leaders who fail to follow through on their commitments, flip-flop on decisions, or demonstrate inconsistency in their actions undermine their credibility and integrity. Followers will not connect to what they cannot trust.

5.???? Lack of Empathy: Leaders who fail to demonstrate empathy, compassion, and understanding towards their team members' needs and concerns erode trust and alienate their workforce. That's a clear indication to them that you really couldn't care less about them.

As leaders committed to unleashing their leadership proficiency, you must recognize the critical importance of trust and credibility in any leadership role and the impact on the mission and vision. By avoiding the pitfalls that have led to the current state of decline, you can be one of the elevated few…an authentic leader who leads with integrity and empathy; who builds trust, inspires confidence, and cultivates a culture of collaboration and success within your team and in your organizations. Tomorrow we will break down some actionable and impacting strategies to get off the ferris wheel of failure and position to excel as a Proverbs 31 Leader of Excellence.

Dr. Bre