Trust: The Foundation of Leadership&"

LEADERSHIP SKILLS FOR REPUBLICANS 2^nd in a Series by Texas Authors Rachel Woods & Toni Anne Dashiell Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Trust is the very foundation of leadership.  Leaders who do not have trust of the people who elected them or that they supervise report to or otherwise work with cannot lead" in the best sense of the word.  After all the word leader" implies that there are followers" or persons who follow" the leader.   There is no doubt that sometimes people manage others by virtue of their formal title not because people truly follow them.  It is certainly possible to be in a managerial role and not be considered a leader."  As we gear up for the election in November it is important for our grassroots leaders to have the trust of others with whom they work or volunteer.  We have much work to do and a lack of trust in a leader can be a serious barrier to an organizations success.  Therefore we will explore a few ideas for ways that you can maintain or build trust from our book Leading for Freedom:  Leadership Skills for Republicans. Topping our list of actions that maintain or build trust are the following: 

1. Tell the truth
2. Be consistent in your words and actions; and
3. Be known as a problem solver. 

The recent Supreme Court ruling on President Obamas signature legislation highlighted the fact that we were told one thing but then told something else later when it served the President.  The President himself said that his healthcare bill was not a tax" but then when it was needed to be called a tax" to survive the Supreme Court it was suddenly called a tax" by the Administrations attorneys.  But wait….  When running for president candidate Obama promised that he would not raise taxes on the middle-class; yet now his signature accomplishment is being dubbed as the highest tax in U.S. history.  This is sure to spell trouble for President Obama. People expect leaders to tell the truth and to call something what it is.  The same goes for ones character.  Once you declare who you are people will hold you to this standard.  People do expect our words and deeds to be consistent with the person we profess to be.  The classic example of a politician delivering empty promises demonstrates how it is possible for leaders to lose trust due to inconsistency between his or her words and actions.  No matter ones level of leadership in an organization these principles are the same.  Whether you are an elected official or a grassroots leader you must tell the truth and be consistent in your words and actions or face the consequence of losing the trust you need to lead.  We should also strive to be known as problem solvers.  Leading through challenges is the very essence of good leadership.  If people are going to trust you to make decisions on their behalf they need to trust your judgment.  One common barrier to problem solving is blame.  Blame is backward-looking.  For this reason blame is inefficient.  After all if you are busy trying to figure out who" did it you are not trying to solve the actual problem.  Great leaders are innovative and build teams of the most creative problem solvers they know. Instead of pointing fingers and asking Who did this?" Great leaders ask How can we fix this?" Right now our country needs courageous men and women who can stop all of the blaming and instead strive to solve the countrys problems in order to get her back on track.  Maintaining and building trust is crucial.  When you are a leader you represent more than just yourself.  A lack of trust in you can mean a lack of trust in the Republican Party.   By

1. Telling the truth
2. Being consistent in your words and actions; and
3. By being known as a problem solver you will be more likely to not only have a leadership title" but also to have the distinctive honor of being considered a  leader" in the true sense of the word.

LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

1. What actions can you take to maintain or build trust with people?
2. Are you consistent in your words and actions?  Are you who you say you are?
3. How do you normally respond when problems arise within your Republican organization?  Do you find yourself looking for someone to blame?  Or are you more focused on solving the problem? 
4. Do you think people respect your decisions?  Why? 
5. How can you increase the quality of your decisions?

For more ways to maintain or build trust read Leading for Freedom:  Leadership Skills for Republicans. COMING NEXT WEEK: MOTIVATING REPUBLICANS" Do you ever wish you could motivate people in your Republican organization to become more active or to assume a more involved role?  Do you feel like you have tried everything and that it is still difficult to motivate people even during an election year?  Since motivating others is at the heart of leadership it is important to learn strategies in order to motivate yourself and others.  As leaders it is our job to discover what specifically motivates others.  Next week we will explore ways to motivate Republicans.  For more information about Texas Authors Rachel Woods & Toni Anne Dashiell or to order Leading for Freedom" with foreword by U.S. Senator John Cornyn visit Leading for Freedom.