The Law of Solid Ground (6)

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership - John Maxwell Chapter 6 - The Law of Solid Ground

Trust Is The Foundation of Leadership

Trust is the most important aspect of leadership.  You cannot lose trust and continue to have influence over others - they won't trust you!

Be sure that you are honest, trustworthy, and act with integrity in everything that you do.  Even in your mistakes, be as honesty and upfront as possible.  Your people know when you make mistakes, the real question is whether you're going to fess up.

When it comes to leadership, you can't just take shortcuts, no matter how long you've been leading your people.

A leader builds trust by consistently exemplifying competence, connection, and character.

People will forgive you for your occassional mistakes and they will give you time to connect, but they will not trust someone who has slips in character.  

Character makes trust possible.  And trust makes leadership possible.  That is the Law of Solid Ground.

Character Communicates Consistency

Consistency is a separator between being good and great.  Live out your values everyday, have integrity everyday, and never make a commitment unless you are going to keep it.

Character Communicates Potential

Poor character is like a time bomb ticking away; if you have poor character, you can't hide it forever.  "No man can climb out beyond the limitations of his own character."

How people treat you is a measure of your character.  How they communicate with you and the level of trust they put in you communicates their perception of your character.

You have to make an intentional effort to develop your character.  There are three main areas you can focus on: integrity, authenticity, and discipline.  To develop your integrity, make a commitment to yourself to be scrupulously honest.  Don't shave the truth, don't tell white lies, and don't fudge numbers.  Be truthful even when it hurts.  To develop authenticity, be yourself with everyone.  Don't play politics, role play, or pretend to be anything you're not.  To strengthen your discipline, do the right things every day regardless of how you feel.