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mistakes and let others know that you are approachable.

In a continuing relationship, the more trust you place in others, generally,
the more they will justify your faith. If you demonstrate your belief in their

honesty and reliability, they will be encouraged to live up to these
expectations. Honesty in interpersonal relationships is the key to trusting.
Honesty helps create trust because it relates to the ability to predict an
outcome.

If leaders intend to be trustworthy, they need to learn how to interact with
others in ways that increase trust levels while avoiding the pitfalls that ruin
trust. Great leaders do not always seek to please their followers, but rather
seek to build their own credibility and thereby earn trust and respect.
Building a reputation for being trustworthy is like managing a brand. It

takes a diligent and ongoing effort to establish what you want to be known
for, as many firms such as Nike or Toyota have learned.

Many organizations have learned that the answer to the question "Do you
trust your boss?" is more predictive of team and organizational success
than perhaps any other question they might ask. According to Stephen
Covey, if a leader’s character is fundamentally flawed and is marked by

duplicity and insincerity, then he or she is not going to be successful as an
influential leader. Insecure leaders generally do not place their trust in
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others and as a result they don’t receive trust from others. People want
leaders who are credible and can be consistently believed. Otherwise,
actions, no matter how good they seem, will merely be viewed as

manipulative. Attempting to use human relations “techniques” as such as
a substitute for a genuine interest in others will not have any permanent
value.

What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say.
Ralph Waldo Emerson.

If you don’t believe in the messenger, you won’t believe the message.

73 Stephen R. Covey. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989.
p. 22.

David Kolzow 62