What makes a great leader? You are probably thinking it’s something buzzword-worthy like confidence.  Or maybe vision.  Or emotional intelligence—you hear about that one all the time.  For sure, those are all good qualities for a leader to have, but the answer is actually trustworthiness.

The question “Can I trust you?” is always on our minds whenever we interact with other people. 

Studies suggest that in order to figure out whether or not someone is trustworthy, we analyze their words and deeds to find answers to two questions: “Do you have good intentions toward me—are you a friend or a foe?” and “Do you have what it takes to act on those intentions?”

Today we’ll talk about how we find the answers to these questions. 

Decades of research show that we are all highly tuned-in to the warmth and competence of those around us. 

Warmth is being friendly, kind, loyal, and empathetic. It is taken as evidence that you have good intentions toward others. 

Your competence—being intelligent, creative, skilled, effective—is taken as evidence that you can act on your intentions if you want to.   Competent people are therefore valuable allies or potent enemies.  Less competent people are objects of compassion, or scorn.

When your team trusts you as a leader, it increases commitment to team goals. Communication improves, and ideas flow more freely, increasing creativity and productivity.  Perhaps most important, in the hands of a trusted leader, employees are more comfortable with change and more willing to embrace a new vision. When your team doesn’t trust you, you don’t get their best effort. You’ll then find yourself unable to inspire, influence, and create real change

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