Trust is not only the most essential building block of relationships and teams, but it is also the currency through which leaders become relationally wealthy.
Leaders naturally trade in trust. By putting their reputation and credibility on the line when endorsing others, they exchange the most valuable gift in relationships. The greatest prize is who else can be trusted.
Leaders operate within a chain of trust by referring, endorsing, and introducing people they trust to others who want to know if they can be counted on.
They place their personal reputation on the line every time they confirm that someone they know can be trusted. In essence, they say without speaking the words: “You trust me, so you can trust them.”
When it comes to trading in trust, good leaders are slow to vouch for others. They don’t do so until they know the other party is of the highest quality and beyond reproach.
In contrast to others who are quick with a reference or endorsement, the best leaders treat their recommendation to trust a third party as a reflection of their personal integrity and character.
Their endorsement or introduction is a guarantee of who they are.
As a result, some leaders are too slow or refrain from endorsing others altogether. They view their stamp of approval as too risky, so they avoid endorsements or are exceedingly hesitant to offer them.
While this sounds smart, it means they don’t trade in trust. Unbeknownst to these leaders is the fact that promoting and endorsing others is the gold standard of relational exchange. It is the currency that builds, nurtures, and sustains relationships.
Colleagues, peers, clients, and others need to know who they can trust to get things done and who they can depend on. They count on those they trust to tell them.
It is one of the most important pieces of information exchanged in relationships. When a leader vouches for someone’s skills, intentions, character, and trustworthiness, and those endorsements prove accurate, the relationship deepens.
They continue to trade in trust to strengthen the connection. But if their endorsements prove unreliable, they become suspect, and the relationship is weakened, sometimes to the point where the reciprocity disappears.
That’s why good leaders are constantly judging others to determine who is trustworthy. They are always on the lookout for those who will represent them well.
They depend on their instincts, experience, and observation to decide who they will endorse and who they will skip over or refer with conditions. They know exactly who in their world they would introduce, refer, and endorse because they think about this all the time.
The best leaders actively trade in trust, frequently endorsing others, but do so with considerable thought and analysis. They appreciate the relational consequences.
How often do you trade in trust? Are you ready to endorse, refer, and introduce people you believe in?
If you’re not trading in trust, you’re not deepening your relationships as much as you could. Can we trust you to think about this?
