I have previously written about the importance of trust in any arena, but especially leadership. Building trust requires character and character is a pillar of leadership effectiveness.
Far too often people in leadership positions give lip service to team building, hold workshops on team building, and run employees through team building exercises. While in many cases the motives are sincere and well founded, the activities end up being a waist of time. Building a team requires more that just working together in the same unit or department. It requires time and shared experiences. It requires people learning that they can truly depend on each other. It requires trust.
Building trust on and for a team is impossible without a leader who is trusted. Let me say that again... building trust on and for a team is impossible without a leader who is trusted! It is entirely possible for people who work together to trust each other but have a void of trust for those in positions of leadership. This results in a lack of forming a team as a team needs a leader and a leader must be able to be trusted. No trust...no team.
It all circles back to character. For a team to function, and function well, it requires a leader who had character and who can be trusted!
