Having the right vision endears people to trust you. Demonstrating
good decision-making skills endears people to trust
you. Leading by example endears people to trust you. But
can you be trusted? Every relationship revolves around this
question.
When you take your thirteen-year-old to an event and
there is a special price for children twelve and under, what
do you do? Many people tell their children to say they are
twelve. My older brothers used to tell me to do that. You
may save a few dollars, but what is the real cost? You are
teaching your children that it is okay to lie sometimes. You
are teaching them how to lie and desensitizing them to the
division we create within ourselves by lying. You are communicating
to them that you are a liar and are essentially teaching
them to lie to you in the not too distant future.
Your word is your oath. If what you say cannot be trusted,
you completely undermine your ability to lead. It is hard
enough to lead people who trust you, never mind trying to
lead those who are always second-guessing you because they
are trying to work out if you are being honest.
Great leaders understand the power of truth. They celebrate
the truth, even when that involves tough decisions and
the loss of popularity. In the long term, nothing serves a
leader like the truth. To a certain extent, you can lose trust
through lack of vision, by being indecisive, or by being unwilling
to lead by example. But the leader whose word cannot
be trusted quickly becomes disabled.
Matthew Kelly
From Building Better Families
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