A Culture of Trust Requires First a Culture of Truth

As an essential for building trust in our leadership, truth ranks second only to integrity. Integrity of course, implies telling the truth. But the kind of truth which builds a culture of trust goes beyond the simple, but sometimes difficult task of being honest in what we say.

To build genuine, effective trust we must be equally willing to hear the truth. To confront the truth. To keep the organization and its culture grounded in truth and reality.

People come to trust you as a leader by watching you in action. They especially watch to see if you tell the truth. Consistently. Openly. Even when the truth is unpleasant. Even when truth puts you in a bad light.

Moreover, it's only when leaders model an unequivocal commitment to telling the truth that efforts to create a truth-telling culture are likely to succeed. And without a truth-telling culture, a culture of trust is almost impossible to achieve. Leaders must therefore commit themselves to telling the truth consistently and everywhere that it needs to be told.

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