Welcome back!
There is one more aspect to the importance of trust in the work environment. It is impossible to emphasize this point enough: maintain your objectivity.
Some of the biggest scandals we’ve heard about on the news happened in no small part because a leader trusted someone they shouldn’t have. Otherwise outstanding leaders can unwittingly make the life-altering mistake of trusting someone who is manipulating them for their own purposes. That doesn’t mean that a leader should suspect every seemingly trustworthy person of a malicious intent. What it does mean is fully facing the reality that some people do have ulterior motives or hidden agendas, and they prey on the leader’s general good heartedness to further their own aims. The key to figuring out which person is bringing which motivation to the table, is to use discernment. This brings us back to the key point throughout the awesome leader series: you will never be as powerful and as protected as when you turn over the reins of your life and leadership to the Lord. God will grace you with the spirit of discernment, and as you develop that skill you’ll readily be able to see all but the most elaborate schemes and eventually even those will come to light. Inevitably, no matter the dark corners of someone’s heart or actions, the light will break through and illuminate the truth.
Even if you don’t believe in God, at least don’t be intellectually or emotionally lazy by failing to keep an open mind about what is going on. If you really want to go it alone and figure everything out for yourself because you and God haven’t been on speaking terms for awhile, then do yourself a favor and sharpen your powers of observation and analysis of what is really going on in the work environment you are responsible for. You’ll have some measure of success figuring people out. Resolve not to have any undercurrents of dysfunction, manipulation, or exploitation on your team. Develop the ability to trust your gut instinct about people and situations, especially when it comes to safety issues. As the leader, it is your responsibility to protect the flock – including and especially – from the wolves in sheep’s clothing within.
Blindly trusting anyone is asking to be lied to, manipulated, or exploited. If you hear yourself saying the words “They would never…” you know it’s time to stop and think! What if the unpleasant information you’re hearing is true? Reestablishing your emotional comfort at the expense of the truth reveals you as a weak, ineffective leader with serious issues of your own. Never put your good name on the line by defending someone without first ascertaining the facts for yourself. Depending on the situation, that could be a career ending move. And in today’s litigious climate, you could also bear personal liability or face criminal charges for not properly handling the situation. No friendship is worth the loss of your own livelihood or freedom.
Also keep in mind that just because you worked with someone years ago doesn’t mean you know them now. Unless you have either lived with or spent significant time behind closed doors in a work setting with someone, there are bound to be parts of them that you have never seen. Keep in mind that we’re all human, we all struggle with various things, and unless we’re working intentionally towards becoming better, our weaknesses will inevitably show themselves in the environments in which we spend the most time. It’s easy for people to manufacture an image if the only time it’s tested is on a brief, occasional basis. That is how abusive family members and bosses get away with their nonsense for so long. When in public they pretend to be one way. But the family and the team behind the closed doors knows the real truth. Decide right now that as a leader, you are going to face the ugly fact that sometimes people are not who they pretend to be, sometimes they are mean-spirited (or worse) and intend harm, and you’ll do whatever it takes to get over any squeamishness you have about conflict, deal with the problems effectively, and protect the team. That. Is. Your. Job.
Until next time, I’ll be praying for God to bless you with discernment so you can see the truth all around you. Love you guys, and believe in you too!!
