Leadership starts with you. If you want to build a strong team, the place to start is with a look in the mirror. Your vision for your team arises from your own character, motives and beliefs. How you regard yourself determines the grandeur and scope of your vision.
Successful leaders tap into a trust feedback loop that serves as a self-reinforcing source of strength, positive self-regard, and regard for others that increases your own and your team’s performance. The trust feedback loop is a positive feedback loop that diminishes your self-imposed limitations so that your vision for yourself and for your team expands geometrically.
The Five Drivers of the Trust Feedback Loop
Trust in Potential When you trust in your own potential, you are able to trust in the potential of others. You don’t have to try to control everything because you trust in your ability to deal with what arises – which allows you to let go of control…
Let Go of Control You understand it’s not possible to control every detail or prevent problems from occurring. You are willing stop hanging onto the illusion of control because you have a basic trust that others can and will rise to address the challenges. Instead of focusing on preventing problems, you are interested in learning more…
Seek Learning You are curious. Instead of being afraid of failure, you seek learning. You approach mistakes by asking “what can I learn?” not “who is to blame?” Instead of thinking you need to have answers, you ask questions – which expands your sense of possibilities…
Go For the Gold You are not content with the status quo. Because you have positive self-regard, you expect more of yourself and set challenging goals. You seek personal excellence. Others are willing to accept challenging goals because you expect no more of others than you do of yourself. Because you care deeply about your goals…
Take a Stand You know what you believe in and you are willing to take a stand for what matters most. And because you do that, others respect and trust you. And this increases trust in your own potential and the potential of others – which brings you full cycle back to trust in potential.
Wow! So many powerful insights and reminders in one quick read! Thanks for sharing more of your wisdom Jesse.
Many thanks, David. Great to see you here!
Relationships based upon MUTUAL trust are the absolute key to any success (career, organization, personal life) – regardless of the definition of success being used!!!
That’s exactly what occurred to me, John. It begins and ends with trust, at many levels.
Trust- so hard to win and so easily lost. Love the focus on what you can do to trust yourself.
Trust is like a bank account. You build it up by making regular deposits. Unfortunately, you can lose it all quite quickly, and when that happens, it takes a lot of effort and commitment to rebuild.
Trust is so essential to leadership. I find your five components right on – trusting both in yourself and equally in others is essential.
So glad to hear it makes sense to you, Betsy. Trust is the basis for all relationships.
Hi Jesse
So much that can be be discussed but I will limit to two items.
Yes, trust begins with us. I begin with trusting another person implicitly; they have done nothing to me for me to regard them with mistrust, low trust or otherwise. I accrue onto them the same regard with which I hold myself. Unless I have just cause, I have no basis to regard them otherwise. It is simply a case of believing another person is accorded dignity and respect by virtue of our shared humanity.
The 2nd point is trust is a dynamic impacted by perceptions of the acts of each other in relation to our interactions. It is subject to micro debits and credits as a result. The challenge is how well we go a place of curiosity and suspend judgment when things we hold dear and near are adversely affected. More often than not, folks are quick to judge instead of getting curious and learning more before going to judgment. In many cases where I have been asked to helpi with team and interpersonal dynamics, I often ask ” what have you done to validate what you perceive?” Many a time folks begin to see how they have contributed to the situation by not doing due diligence.
I love working with people because they offer so many opportunities for understanding different perspectives, and the deeply held beliefs, attitudes, and values in play. In this way I and they are constantly learning and expanding our own percepts and understanding
It sounds like you have innate basic trust, which makes life a lot easier. I agree with your point that the meaning we assign to events affects our perceptions and ultimately our level of trust.
Wow!
Wonderful cycle Jesse
So glad to hear you appreciate it, Khalid
From the time a child is born he or she begins to build trust (the mother, the doctors, the nurses and so on). As he or she grows that turns into self-confidence and is portrayed in every action and in every way he or she deals. Yes Trust begins with yourself, and let Nobody rob you of that. It is your confidence in the self that will keep others at bay as they will try to break you. This translates to every person you deal with at work and at home. Trust in yourself and treat others as you would like to be treated, not as you are treated.
Many thanks for your thoughts Bharat
Great article. Clearly speaks to me what I can and cannot control & reminds us about the importance of trust for all involved. Thank you!
To stop trying to control things you cannot control is one of the most powerful gifts you can give yourself. Thanks for your comments, Mari.
The one I struggle the most with is to let go of control. Really like the visual here!
It’s easier to let go of control when you realize that there is very little you can actually control 🙂