A few months ago, I was coaching the leader of a global company. The subject of the session had turned to trustworthiness – or rather the lack of it. He came back at my enquiry with full force. He was completely trustworthy… how dare I ask?
But digging deeper it became clear that this wasn’t the case. He often said one thing to one person and another to someone else. He regularly talked about people behind their back. He had made a string of commitments both in the business and personally that he hadn’t met.
He had a great excuse: the ‘ridiculous’ pressure he was under. But, what was the impact of this behaviour?
Trust runs deep. So does distrust. People see through the shiny front you present them with. They sense something isn’t ringing true. There is a tension in the relationship. You know this, because you experience it with others.
If people don’t trust you, they won’t follow you, teach you, support you, cheer for you.
Are you trustworthy?
