One of the most important things an executive can do is earn the trust of others. Without trust, sales will be limited and take longer; employees will be less loyal and productive; and your boss will ask more questions and “micromanage” you. In short, without trust, the executive cannot be effective.
But how does an executive earn trust? By being honest? That’s certainly important to be honest, or more specifically, developing character. Trust and character go hand in hand. There’s another component, however, and that’s competence. In business, an executive MUST earn the reputation of both character and competence to be effective.
You’ll come across people in business who possess one trait in high doses, but not the other. There will always be something off about them that prevents them from being successful. It’s because they lack one trait or the other.
Honest people who aren’t capable may get our sympathy, but never our support. The honest car mechanic who doesn’t gouge us, which is rare, but who can’t fix our car won’t get our repeat business.
Conversely, you often see highly skilled individuals who have poor character. They will generally falter slowly, over time. At first, people will be blinded by their skill, but over time the reputation for unethical practices will swarm over them. I know a realtor who’s personable, hardworking, and skillful. He has everything it takes to be successful. But he always takes shortcuts. Steals other agents’ pictures for his listings, talks down about the skills of other agents, and is not honest with clients about the true value of their house in the market.
At first, he was highly successful in the area, but his business has never really grown. His reputation for dishonesty and questionable practices leads to a lot of churn and little repeat business. As a result, he’s constantly searching out new clients and areas in which to do business, where his reputation won’t precede him. It’s a shame because his character is the limiting factor.
A wonderful book on earning trust is The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey. There’s a lot to this book, and it’s well worth the read (and re-read) but I want to identify 4 characteristics that are worth developing if you want to earn more trust. Two have to do with character and two with competence. If you can lock down these four traits, you’re going to succeed as an executive.
These are:
- Developing Integrity
- Always Having to Right Intent
- Developing Capabilities
- Achieving Results
If you can develop these four traits, and continually drive to achieve them in your everyday life, you’ll win the trust of customers, employees, bosses, and everyone else with whom you come into contact. Always take a step back and make sure that you’re constantly developing a reputation for each of the four, seeking honest feedback of those around you to determine shortcomings. Gaining trust is critical for the executive, and you’ve got to actively work to develop it.