Law #6: The Law of Solid Ground
John Maxwell’s sixth irrefutable law of leadership is called the Law of Solid Ground. It essentially says that the quality of your character will determine the quality of your leadership and influence with others, and that trust is the foundation of leadership.
I believe this to be completely true because people will not follow someone they do not trust, not willingly at least. I’m reminded of a recent situation where fear became the overarching emotion in a relationship of leaders and the trust that once existed between the two evaporated quickly, and so did the relationship. The individual that was initially the leader had succumb to fear, let it drive her actions and perceptions and the ground that was once solid was now cracked and shaky to say the least. The most distressing part of it all was that the “leader” never took the time to truly hear and listen to the other person’s scenario and explanation. There was never an effort to try and maintain and secure the trust, despite repeated attempts from the other party to come to the table together to sort everything out.
Leaders need to be able to provide and foster an environment in which their followers can trust them. I made a devastating mistake once as a leader and it took a lot of patience and time and effort to rebuild and regain the trust. Believe me, you feel the impact in an organization and it’s capability to produce and succeed when a base level of trust is not present.
Being trustworthy requires so many other attributes to be present in a leader. Trustworthy leaders have integrity, they’re mature, they seek to understand, they are consistent in action and consistent between their message and their deeds, they listen before passing judgment, they forgive. When people are finally able to see your true colors, if they find that you do not display these characteristics, they won’t trust you. If they don’t trust you, they will leave you, plain and simple. If they’re not following, you’re not a leader.
It’s easy to look like a leader or wear a hat that says leader on it when all people see of you is your stage presence, but when the truth of your character is revealed, see how many people have truly stuck by you and continued to place their trust in you and follow you. Be vulnerable. Let them see who you really are. If you’re confident enough to believe that your ground is solid, you have nothing to fear. However, if you imagine being vulnerable and exposed and fear strikes your heart, you need to take a moment to assess how solid the foundation of your character is.
