Trust: The Window and the Mirror
March 19th, 2008 | by geo |Trust – It’s a word that’s thrown around a lot these days, maybe to the point where it’s lost it’s original meaning. Nonetheless, we all inherently know what it means.
Words and good intentions are not enough. Gotta be smart about trust, because it is so darn fragile. It takes years to build, and can take seconds to destroy.
TRUST relates to a classic chapter from Good to Great on level 5 leadership. Jim Collins talks about “the window and the mirror.”
When things go well, great leaders look out the window and attribute the success to other factors. when things go poorly, they look in the mirror and take responsibility.
How do I relate TRUST to being a level 5 leader?
It’s about giving credit where credit is due, and more importantly, not getting ahead by taking credit from others’ efforts for your own personal gain. This destroys trust.
Level 5 leadership is directly related to historically successful companies. Level 4 leaders are not. See the summary below of both types. Which are you?
Level 5
- Builds enduring greatness
- Personal humility—does not seek the light
- Ambition for the purpose of the institution
- Sets the successors up for success
- Looks out the window—credits others for success
- Looks in the mirror—assigns responsibility for failure
Level 4
- Builds commitment to a vision
- Stimulates high performance standards
- Large ego – high level of personal charisma
- Does not provide for the successors
- Looks out the window to place blame
- Looks in the mirror to claim success
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