The quote below is from Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward:
“A critical pre-supposition all leaders must realize is that followers buy into the leader before anything else. The vision may be compelling, but is the leader worth following? The rewards may be inspiring, but can the leader be trusted? The environment may be inviting but does the leader care about his or her people? The resources may be enormous, but does the leader know what he or she is doing? These are the qualifying questions followers ask subconsciously before giving permission to be led. Leadership is not a position or title; it is a condition of permission given by followers once they buy into the leader. (bold and italics are mine) Leadership influence, like trust, must be earned and earned continually.” (p. 186,187)
WOW! Do you see the bones underneath this? Unless the follower is convinced that the leader can lead in a way that benefits HIM in some way, there will be problems. This issue is one of the most significant problems with leadership from my perspective. Leaders don’t take the time to develop relationships, and, therefore, their credibility is suspect. CREDIBILITY!!! The last two words of that quote are the downfall of many who have talent, charisma, and knowledge; trust must be earned continually!!! It may not seem fair or necessary, but to disregard this is to set the stage for followers to become disenchanted and potentially disruptive.
All of life can be reduced to relationships. The quality of those relationships is affected by OUR willingness to engage in authentic ways with everyone we meet. Credibility starts when we recognize this and employ the lessons of emotional intelligence to build strong and healthy relationships. If you want to know more about this, contact me rlupchurch@gmail.com with the subject: Building Credibility through EQ
