{"id":13536,"date":"2016-10-05T22:03:29","date_gmt":"2016-10-06T02:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/margiewarrellold.flywheelsites.com\/?p=13536"},"modified":"2016-10-05T22:03:29","modified_gmt":"2016-10-06T02:03:29","slug":"earn_trust_back_your_beliefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/earn_trust_back_your_beliefs\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Trust-Worthy: Stand By Your Beliefs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with former Australian Prime Minister John Howard. We were both keynote speakers at the same conference and ended up having time together between speeches\u00a0and afterward\u00a0at a reception.<\/p>\n

Like every political leader, during his eleven years leading Australia there were many who didn\u2019t like Mr Howard. Some outright loathed him. His conservative positions and support of the war in Iraq earned him plenty of criticism.<\/p>\n

As we discussed his many years as a leader on the world stage, one thing he said stood out for me. It was for how much people may not have liked where he stood, but they always knew where he stood.<\/p>\n

He recounted a reception that former U.S. President G.W. Bush held for him while he was visiting his son who was living in Dallas, Texas, after they had both left office. President Bush had invited a host of his fellow Texan Republicans to the gathering. When asked by one of them to list his three proudest achievements as Australia\u2019s second longest serving Prime Minister, he named one as changing Australia\u2019s gun laws. You can imagine how that went down\u2026 to Republic stalwarts in Texas! He recalled Bush saying\u00a0to him afterward, \u201cYou pulled the wrong rein on that one John.\u201d He\u00a0didn\u2019t care. He stood behind his belief that fewer guns make for a safer and better society.\u00a0(To watch\u00a0an interview with Howard about his “Gun Buyback” click<\/a>\u00a0here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Looking at the political landscape today, it\u2019s not hard to find politicians whose political stance appears to be shaped more by opinion polls than by what they believe is best and right for those they lead (or hope to lead.) In fact, we\u2019re increasingly unsure what many political leaders really<\/em> believe. Or if they have any firm beliefs at all.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, research by the Edelman Trust Barometer\u00a0has pointed to an \u201cevaporation of trust\u201d in institutions and leaders around the globe with more countries now being classified as distrusting than trusting.<\/p>\n

“Character in the long run is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and nation alike.” Theodore Roosevelt<\/h5>\n

This growing deficit of trust strikes at the leadership in every domain. In a world of soundbites and slogans, people are hungry for leaders whom they can count on to prioritize\u00a0principal\u00a0over power. Most people would prefer to be led by someone with the character to stand\u00a0behind their beliefs, even if they didn’t always agree with them, than someone content\u00a0to surrender self-respect for self-interest, indecisively flip-flopping their beliefs in whatever direction pollsters pointed.<\/p>\n

It\u00a0is a greater compliment\u00a0to be respected as a leader than it is to be liked.<\/h5>\n

As Howard shared with me that he always took it as a compliment when people would say they didn’t agree with him but they respected his conviction. His words aligned with that of Lori Garver, the first female\u00a0Deputy Director of NASA, whom I interviewed while researching Stop Playing Safe<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cPeople don\u2019t want to be left wondering what their leader really thinks,” she said. “My candor has sometimes been difficult for people to hear, but they\u2019ve come to respect that I\u2019m open, upfront and transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch my Facebook live video talking about this topic via this link.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The same is true for life, with the people we work and live with. While it can be tempting to say what we think people want to hear, our relationships are always better off when people\u00a0can trust that we mean what we say and say what we mean. Sometimes this takes courage as we risk the fall out that may ensue. Yet while speaking honestly can be uncomfortable, the price we pay for failing to do so far exceeds any\u00a0short term discomfort. Compromising our integrity always exacts a steep toll. Doing what is right is always the right thing to do.<\/p>\n

But what is “trust” anyway? For something we talk about a lot, it’s\u00a0a concept that can be highly amorphous. Which is why it can be helpful to break it down into four core pillars of parts – character, competence, concern <\/em>and reliability.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"earn

The Four Pillars of Trust (From Stop Playing Safe<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Whether you\u2019re a CEO who wants to shepherd change, a sales rep who wants to make budget or you just want to repair trust with a friend, take a look at the Trust Audit**\u00a0<\/em>above\u00a0and ask yourself what you might be doing that is inadvertently limiting trust and what you can do to change that.<\/p>\n