The Leader in Me – Trustworthiness
Trust is an important virtue when it comes to building relationships. Being trustworthy is even more important when you are a leader. When your team can trust you and your actions, they will stand behind you and lead effectively.
How Do You Become Trustworthy?
Trust is something earned from others. When you are trustworthy, people count on you to do your best and to keep your word. Earning someone’s trust is not easy or instant. It takes time and effort to hone the virtue of trustworthiness. By practicing to keep your word and following through every day, you can begin to earn trust from those around you and earn the virtue of trustworthiness.
It is easier to lose someone’s trust than it is to gain it, so being careful to practice other virtues like respect and honesty helps you become a trustworthy person.
Trust Makes Your Relationships Stronger
One of the reasons that trustworthiness is such a valued virtue for leadership is because a trusted leader is able to build stronger relationships with those around them. If you are trustworthy, people know they can rely on you, that you are committed, honest and respectful.
Trust is Built on Virtues
Trust is built on other virtues that the “Virtues Program” teaches. Being trustworthy means respecting other people’s wishes by following through on your promises to them, it means being committed to these promises and it means you are being loyal to that person.
Teaching Trust
At Childventures, we teach trustworthiness through our “Second Step” program. Children are able to see concrete examples of emotions through picture cards. The children then have a group discussion about why they may be feeling a certain way.