BATTLEFIELD LEADERSHIP
White Paper
Trust and Leadership:
The Role of Character
To be credibly trustworthy, a leader must be able to see, speak and behave in ways which
establish and sustain trust. Trust with others (external) begins with trust within (internal), self-trust,
and with having a clear visceral understanding and mental image of the connection between one’s
core values and guiding principles and how one needs to operate and come across as a leader.
Trustworthiness as a leader is earned, based in credibility, and is evaluated by others as a
function of a leader’s demonstrated character and competence. Character is represented (to others)
by their measure of integrity and intent as perceived through observable actions Competence is
evaluated in a leader by virtue of the degree of proficiency acquired and performance demonstrated
in an ongoing fashion.
First, it is important to understand the dimensions of character …
Integrity
Integrity can be defined using many descriptors, including, but not limited to, honesty.
Additional qualities of integrity include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Congruence. Understood as having no gap between intent and behavior: the same
inside as out, what you see is what you get, who you are speaks so loudly that I can’t
hear what you say … Majadev Desai said about Gandhi, “What he thinks, feels, says
and does are all the same. He does not need notes. You and I, we think one thing, say
another, feel a third and do a fourth … so we need notes and files to keep track.”
Congruent people listen only to the voice of conscience, in the end analysis. The
consistent demonstration of behavior congruent with one’s belief system and derivative
principles will inevitably drive credibility.
(2) Humility. Understood to not be meekness, but to be the demonstration of the
willingness to see the world not from a pedestal but on a level with others. One of Jim
Collins’ great surprises in doing the Good to Great research was how much leadership
mattered. Said Collins, “In all the companies, leadership made a great difference … and
the type of leadership involved was typically self-effacing, quiet, reserved or thoughtful,
and even shy – a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.” Some
examples of humility:
a. Being more concerned about what is right than being right.
b. Acting on good ideas or thoughts vs having good ideas or thoughts.
c. Embracing truth (new or current) vs defending an established position.
d. Building the team vs exalting self above team.
e. Recognizing contributions vs being recognized for achievement.
The opposite of humility is arrogance and pride, evident in the placement of ego first,
above principles and others.
(3) (Moral) Courage. Understood as the will to do the right thing even when it’s hard.
Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the
quality which guarantees all the others.” Said another way, the definition of moral
courage is every other virtue at the testing point.
We all have degrees of these qualities within, and some are more developed or pronounced
than others, but integrity is not necessarily an innate characteristic. Integrity can be developed or
strengthened. Key practices for improving one’s integrity include:
(1) Make and keep your commitments to yourself.
(2) Stand for something – know what you value at your core. As a great Country and
Western lyricist once put it: “You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for
anything.”
(3) Be open – be willing to challenge the very fabric of your thoughts so you will be able
to change “reality” and “truth”, and, therefore, make progress.
Remember, “greed (egocentrism) destroys ‘wealth’”. Trust and integrity, by contrast, foster
prosperity.
Intent
Intent can be defined as “purpose” or “plan”, but it also includes motive, agenda, and
behavior:
(1) Motive. Understood as the reason for doing something, or the why behind the what.
Being crystal clear at the outset about your intent as a leader, and making sure that is
clearly understood both vertically and horizontally within your organization, is basic and
fundamental for effective execution of strategies, especially when coordination,
cooperation or collaboration are required. But nothing is more inspiring for creating
trust than being clear about the motivation behind your intent as well. Being open and
vulnerable about your motivation conveys authenticity, and authenticity is at the core of
integrity. The motive that inspires the greatest trust is genuine caring, about the interests
and well-being of others. Though many might consider it clichéd or trite, the saying
“People don’t need to know how much you know, they need to know how much you
care” sums up the essence and wisdom of this concept.
(2) Agenda. An agenda is directly derivative of motive. It grows out of it. It’s what you
intend to do or promote because of your motive. The agenda which inspires the greatest
level of trust is seeking mutual benefit – genuinely wanting the best for all involved.
Truly seeking mutual benefit is only possible when it’s based in a belief that life is
interdependent. It comes through in not only genuinely caring about others, but also in
actually wanting them to win … in addition to yourself. Human beings are selfish by
nature, and that is not necessarily bad. We all must act in our own self-interest, unless
we have become self-destructive, but the key is seeing that self-interest and the interests
of others are not mutually exclusive concepts.
(3) Behavior. Understood as the manifestation of motive and agenda. The behavior which
best creates credibility and inspires trust is acting in the best interest of others. Be clear,
this does not have to be at your expense. Note that it is easy to say ”I care” or “I want
you to succeed”, but it is our behavior which demonstrates whether or not we mean it.
Behavior also has a multiplier effect. As a leader, if you put a twist on the ancient Mafia
creed, “Punish one, teach a hundred” you can see the power of behaving in the best
interest of others for only a few. But this has to be authentic. Trying to project the
image of being caring with the “I care about you” show of an “I really could care less
about you” person communicates nothing but deceit. The result would be devastating to
one’s credibility. And, it is critical to remember that poor behavior can sometimes be
the bad execution of good intent, so ascribing to anyone “motives meaner than your
own” is never a good idea. One of the most powerful concepts in building credibility
and trust, is “always assuming positive intent” until behavior can be verified as illintended.
Like integrity, intent and its expression can be strengthened or improved. Fundamentally, intent is a
matter of the heart, so it cannot be artificially manufactured, but it can be worked on. Key practices
for improving intent include:
(1) Examine and refine your motives – ask soul searching questions directed at uncovering
the “rational lies” we tell ourselves to legitimize our intent for ourselves and others.
You might consider using the “Five Whys” method to discover the root of your motives
… but be honest with yourself. If your intent is based in your guiding principles, it will
enrich your purpose. If not, it will undermine your purpose. If you find your motives
base or purely egocentric:
a. Identify the principles that will bring the results you want.
b. Recognize you may need help to create inner change at the deep level you’ve
revealed and seek it through examples, reading, a confidant or mentor, or even
meditation and prayer.
c. Behave your way into the person you want to be – find ways and take action to
manifest the principles with which you want to be identified.
(2) Declare your intent – make it explicit. Let others know clearly what you are intending to
do and why. This is a way of letting others know what to look for and where it will be
coming from. First ensure your intent is not merely self-serving, because duplicity or
deceit will derail the results.
(3) Choose abundance – or at least adequacy. The measure of your life will not be in what
you accumulate, but in what you share or give away. The key here is that abundance or
adequacy are choices to be made consciously. The perception of scarcity and the
perception of abundance or adequacy drive drastically differing behavior. As leaders
charged with results, there’s no one of us who would not like more resources with which
to achieve our goals … but the key to our effectiveness with limited resources is in how
e see what we have: is it abundant or adequate, or is it scarce? How we behave will be
driven by that perception.