Image: Jehyun Sung | Unsplash

The most important aspect of leadership is not competence, communication or innovation.

It’s integrity.

When we can’t trust our leaders, life can turn really bad, really fast. Even deadly.

We’re seeing it in real time right now. The current COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis will be made better by our ability to trust those in leadership or made worse by our lack of ability to trust them.

Let’s pray that the weight of it will lean heavily toward trust and trustworthiness.

A Call To Trustworthiness

This is not about any specific political or church leader. Right now, there’s plenty of distrust – and good reasons for it – on all sides.

This is also not a call to trust our leaders. It’s a call for leaders to be more trustworthy.

When they’re not (when we’re not) people die.

In other times, when life is moving along relatively normally, untrustworthy leadership is a cause for debate, ridicule, even mockery. But when things go bad, lack of trust in leadership gets people killed.

Earned Distrust

In the current crisis, for instance, there were many people, early on, who doubted the necessity of self-quarantine – and some who still do. Why? Often because they doubted the truthfulness of the people giving them this information.

From politicians, to medical, religious and educational leaders, everyone has earned some degree of distrust from us.

And I do mean earned. Distrust is not primarily the fault of the followers, but of the leaders who have given us plenty of reasons not to trust them.

How To Regain Trust

If you are in a position of leadership, now more than ever we need to be able to trust you. And there’s only one way to do that.

Be trustworthy.

Do the right thing.

Every time.

For a long time.

Then speak words that match your actions.

The risk of not doing so is too high for anything less.

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