Trusting the Direction
Do you type in the address of your destination, and the GPS produces several options as choices to take? One of the choices is the fastest route. Do you select it and go? Who doesn’t want to get to the destination fast?
We place trust in many things. Can you think of other things we place trust in without having to prove or need to earn it?
When you need support in finding direction, you depend on a support system to guide you. I can think of many examples in life where trusting others or devices is an essential need for survival.
Early in my career, I had the honor to work with individuals who were blind and with hearing loss. I also found myself in need of assistance after my brain injury for a temporary time. All of those incidents, individuals placed trust in someone and something for support immediately. We trusted because we were not in the capacity not to be able to make another choice. We had to trust.
When individuals are hired to join an organization, they can choose to trust the direction the leader is taking them, or they can choose not to follow.
What happens when individuals are not following the direction of the leader?
How can leaders help individuals see the vision, hear the directions and trust the destination set?
If you have been following the Twitter change, many are leaving, being fired, or have chosen to stay. We can watch to see how this turns out for all involved.
Every leader has a different style of how they present their vision to those who are on their staff or team. When giving the vision, they also reveal who they are, the core of their beliefs, and the qualities of who they are as a leader.
As the years go by, we have added more descriptions and definitions to the types and styles of leaders. We have many different deviations of leaders with a specialty focus. However, all leaders still have a core foundation of skills and qualities to help a team or staff work together toward a vision.
Trust your vision
As leaders, trust in your vision. Know the direction you are going and help those you are leading to see the destination. Answer the how, what, why, and who of your plans.
Clarity and consistency are vital as you work on improvements. Collaboration with the team is essential, but lacking confidence will derail the train off the track. Leaders set the directions and do not give directions. A title of leader is just a title, until leaders take action, model and provide example of what it is to be part of the team.
Following a leader is something where trust is not something we do instantly, it is earned. Students will only learn from those they like and trust. Team members will only work and engage with leaders they trust.