Trust and Honesty 2/18/10

Trust is being able to tell someone something and have full confidence that they won't repeat it to anyone else. It's placing confidence in another person and believing what they say is true. Honesty is telling the truth to someone, no matter the conditions. Even if the situation is awkward or other people say to lie about something, honesty is having the courage to tell the truth. Trust and honesty go hand in hand with each other because if someone isn't honest with you then why should you trust them? You have to be known to be an honest person with people, because only then will a person trust you with their own issues if they know you'll be truthful and won't lie about what's right or wrong. Both trust and honesty are essential in being a leader, because you have to be honest with someone for them to trust you, and they must trust you and your actions in order to be confident enough to follow you. "When a leader's character is strong, people trust him, and they trust in his ability to release their potential. That not only gives his followers hope for the future, but it also promotes a strong belief in themselves and their organization." If you're known as someone who has lied quite frequently and you're always changing your mind, then people can't put enough trust in you to be able to follow. If no one is following you then you're obviously not being a successful leader. In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, it's said that, "Character makes trust possible. And trust makes leadership possible. Whenever you lead people, it's as if they consent to take a journey with you. The way that trip is going to turn out is predicted by your character." Before we even try to lead others, we need to make sure that our own character is how it should be, by always being honest and truthful.