Reading from my “Great Quotes from Great Leaders” book today and had cause to pause when I read this quote attributed to Booker T. Washington http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_T._Washington, “Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him.” It made me think, do I always give responsibility and trust to my team? I’d like to swear that I do, but I’m not sure I can, unfortunately.
It’s not as though I don’t want to trust, I do, eh, trust me. Most of the time, my trust is rewarded. But trust hasn’t always worked out for me. Over the years, people I’ve trusted have lied to me, stolen from me and taken advantage of my trust in various other ways. It was never my fault…….I’m quite sure?
When my trust is abused, I try to bounce back, reaffirm my belief that all human beings are essentially good and trustworthy, and give it another go. Trust is necessary. After all, the option – to trust no one - isn’t very appealing….and it makes for a long, miserable day as well.
Truth is that I love placing responsibility and trust with others, but I’m quicker to lose trust than I am take away the responsibility – which makes no sense. I need to work on that. I’m glad I had the chance to read Booker’s quote today. It made me to take a close look at myself and my leadership. I still have room to improve. Do you?
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