I trust people. First. I reserve judgement. I won't be stupid with my trust but I'll extend it to you first. I believe starting at trust will build a relationship faster. Trust is critical. Think about a person you trust very much. How easy it to communicate with them? Now think of a person you don't trust. Is communication the same?
I'm struggling with three relationships at present all of which are untrustworthy and are stagnating growth. I'm fortunate this isn't my personal life - I have few deep friendships but the ones I have are filled with trust. I've rid myself of those who weren't. The ones I refer to as negative are cohorts and the three have banded together to form an alliance. I've looked deep at myself to examine my own behavior and asked trusted friends to be honest if I was causing damage to a once fantastic team. I'm satisfied I am not.
One member of the team is a fantastic leader perhaps one of the best I've seen. His charisma and dynamic presence have a very strong influence throughout my workplace. He is without character. He has manipulated, perhaps even been malicious and has led good people astray. I blame his followers too - they were attracted to the negative, the drama, the chaos. Being a great leader does not mean great things it simply means you can get people to follow.
I have lost my trust for this team - it is fractured. I don't despair however. I know where the problems lie and that makes it a much easier fix. I have also discovered some members of the team were astute, saw what was happening and kept out of it. Without prompting were able to say they know I have their back (trust) and that they have mine.
I am who I say I am. I do what I say I'm going to do. I confront reality, get better by learning every day, own up to what I've done wrong, talk straight and don't run from change. In benevolence I will change the shape of what currently exists and make it better. That is my promise to myself and to those I work with. I trust myself to know this is true.
