Legendary investor Warren Buffett was recently asked why he still enjoyed investing money for others. He replied, “I like the feeling of being trusted.”
That statement explains a lot about Buffet and captures a feeling many leaders value but rarely articulate. Many of the most admired leaders in the world build their lives and reputations around the feeling of being trusted.
Not surprisingly, when leaders covet being trusted, they work hard to act in trustworthy ways so they might soak in this feeling more frequently. They have high personal standards and values and live by them rigidly. They never negotiate the principles they believe in.
When a leader is successful, the feeling of being trusted is an enduring emotion. Earning the right to have people trust you is a day-in-and-day-out commitment. Consistency is the main ingredient. To earn the faith of trust, leaders must be unusually consistent with how they act, engage, and decide. The congruency of their actions and values is paramount. They work hard to never slip up.
People resonate with that consistency and place a tremendous weight on the stability, reliability, and predictability it produces. As a hallmark of credibility, the routines and actions that showcase consistency create repeatable results. That is a quality everyone appreciates and admires. When those around a leader can predict their decisions based on their values, principles, and previous actions, they find deep comfort and extend that trust to the leader.
That is what Warren Buffett has been after for more than nine decades. The good feeling of being trusted. Perhaps you would enjoy that feeling, too. Most of the best leaders do.
