Garima Singh - Blog - Why would your team believe and trust you as a leader?

I have been very lucky this year to have been able to attend a very comprehensive leadership programme offered by my organisation. One of the sub-programs was the Authentic Leadership trainings, we went through a rigorous three days of discovering our leadership purpose. I was surrounded by a group of exceptional leaders going through the same process, all our core values were different, we were all unique people yet all of us had teams that believed in us, trusted in us. What was the common ground? Additionally, Why have I trusted and followed leaders in my organisation(s)? What makes them capture my trust? And, Why have there been a (smaller) bunch I have not been able to trust or follow?

As someone aspiring to be a better leader every day, this question has always been a constant topic of analysis for me. What makes some stand out, and what will make me be on that side of the line?

The answer emerged in another sub-program for me, when the AIM institute ran a mini-MBA course for us. We were provided with some amazing content, one of which was a video of Julian Treasure, who in his TED talk highlights the seven sins of speaking. And there is my light bulb moment. I could see the equation. Authenticity and integrity are values you can truly observe in a leader when there is absence of these seven sins. These sins are:

1. Gossip

(noun) casual or unconstrained conversation about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.

example: Imagine two coworkers, Sarah and Alex, chatting by the coffee machine about a colleague who is not present. They are discussing Jamie and how he might be leaving the company.

2. Judging

(verb) form an opinion or conclusion about.

example: Imagine a team meeting where the leader is discussing a new project. A team member suggests an idea. The leader quickly dismisses the idea as overly ambitious, judging based on assumptions rather than the idea's actual merits.

3. Negativity

(noun) the expression of criticism of or pessimism about something.

example: A leader or team member saying "That plan will probably fail, just like everything else we've tried lately". This leads to team culture that is resistant to change, and innovation. The leader harvesting this negativity is often not looked up to.

4. Complaining

(verb) express dissatisfaction or annoyance about a state of affairs or an event.

example: A leader constantly complains about shifting priorities, causing the team to distrust the company’s direction. They neither establish processes to manage changes nor use their influence to provide feedback to stakeholders.

5. Excuses

(verb) seek to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offence); try to justify.

example: A leader, who often show up late for meetings and blames it on traffic, or other external factors.

6. Lying

(verb) speak falsely to; tell an untruth; present a false impression.

example: A leader who makes up a statement metrics to show the team is doing well, when in reality the team knows they are not.

7. Dogmatism

(noun) the tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without consideration of evidence.

example: Someone dogmatic might insist that the earth is flat or that women shouldn't drive.

Then, what are the traits of an authentic leader?

A leader, authentic leader stays clear of these sins. There are 4 key traits that define an authentic leader, the 4 Cs:

Commitment 🤝, Consistency 💯, Care 💖, and Competency 🎓.

Have a think! Looking at the leaders you are surrounded which now or in the past, does this apply?