Trust is The Catalyst
Sometimes I pull books from shelves because I think I know its author – but Stephen M. Covey is not Stephen R. Covey. Nevertheless, young Stephen is effectively continuing in the vain of his father’s cerebral success. The book? The Speed of Trust. It brought me back to my own convictions that Trust is a foundational virtue. The biblical seven virtues, spawned to protect from the seven deadly sins, all originate and are controlled only within us. Chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness and humility are virtues we practice when we win them from within ourselves. Trust is both within us and outside of us; we must both trust and be trusted.
Outside of our selves, out in the world, nothing happens without Trust. In business I always felt no contract, however tightly or comprehensively written, could ever substitute for a lack of trust. Trust is the glue that holds relationships together; it’s one of the few virtues that must be mutual to work. Trust by and trust in a Servant-Leader is what makes them effective. It gives them the power to lead and to serve.
For most people, trust must be earned. According to Adam Smith in his 1759 book (yes, we humans really haven’t changed much), The Theory of Moral Sentiments, prudence, justice, and benevolence are the three primary virtues. Thinking about that for a moment, it’s easy to see possessing those means you are trustworthy. To be trustworthy allows others to conduct their affairs with you, to engage in friendship, love and yes, commerce with you. Still, sharing is risking. So, while the stimulus to trust comes from without, the impetus to trust comes from within. In other words, if I do not trust myself, if I do not esteem myself, I cannot esteem or trust others. Nothing happens without trust.
In the world of the Servant-leader and the Servant-warrior (see my post, ‘The Magic of EMAL Football at PLU’), trust and self-esteem go hand in hand. They are built together as people learn to give of themselves to each other. And interestingly, self-esteem vs. self-worth, the success road vs. the road to success, being your best self vs. being better than others, are all intertwined and built on opposing ideas of fulfillment. One begets trust, friendship and love; the other path results in feelings of disappointment, disillusionment and betrayal. Which one do you think makes you trusting and trustworthy?
Feeling good about our selves can be a fragile commodity. There are so many ways and reasons why we should fail at whatever we undertake, and there are literally thousands of people and messages telling us every day why we are not special, and therefore, not capable of special things. This negatively that so often surrounds us is why I love the quote from Alan Turing, often credited as the inventor of the modern computer:
“Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.”[1]
As we strive to be Servant-leaders we are building trust, both in ourselves and in others. And maybe most importantly of all, that trust allows us to keep believing in ourselves even when we make a mistake. It allows us to keep believing in others when they make a mistake. That is a Servant-leader.
[1] Hodges, Andrew, Alan Turing: The Enigma. Walker & Co., New York, 2000.
