The importance of earning trust

Obviously, leaders need to be trusted. Obviously, a leader who is trusted is far more effective than one who is not.

But trust is a complex, fragile thing, full of many layers. So one needs to be careful. It’s a lot harder to win back, after you’ve lost it, than to *not* lose it in the first place.

And trust is not monolithic, not one dimensional. They say it has three levels:

1.Positive Relationships. You’ve got excellent people skills. You’re a mensch.

2.Good judgment/Expertise. We know you got your power because you’re competent because you’ve earned it, not because your daddy bought it for your Christmas present.

3. Consistency. We know you can be trusted, but can we trust *this* time, when it *really* matters?

None of these three will cut it all by itself. You need all three. Just like anything else of importance in business, nothing exists in a vacuum; everything exists in a sea of nuance.