Leadership Crisis and the Factor of Trust

Leadership is important for not only organisations, but also for political-socio-economic changes which impact our lives. We always blame that the leaders have failed us , whether it is organisational affairs, the affairs of our country or any other field. The general opinion is that there is leadership crisis in every field of socio-economic activity. However, one fails to realize that thee is lack of trust at all levels in the society. As a result it is very difficult to develop trust in a leader .Due to this there is cynicism all around. People do not have faith in the qualities of a leader. His actions are always suspect in the public eye. The failures of the political system,  or an organization are always attributed to the leaders. There is no attempt to understand the organizational dynamics from point of view of trust. Similarly, the fallacies of the political system are examined externally, not from the view-point of trust, which is internal, and which is based on human nature.

Most of the organizations suffer from leadership crisis as good leaders do not emerge because of rising levels of distrust in the society. In organizations if people learn to trust each other, then leaders will emerge in a natural way. In fact, every person in an organization will be able to develop his potentialities as a leader due to which the organization will grow. The leadership potential of every employee will be developed in such a way that he will love to take initiatives on his own part .Belief in each other will not only develop team-spirit, but will also pave the way to create second, or third wrung of leaders who can be groomed to take over the leadership mantle when the person at the top retires. Trust will make the organizational hierarchies redundant

The trust level in the society has gone down to such an extent because of materialistic culture, and the  general cynicism for the political system that it takes time for people to develop trust in a leader. The trust in Anna as a leader who  successfully  led democratic protest movement against corruption was mainly because he espoused a cause of national concern without any political motive. Absence of trust in the politicians of the country is the prime reason why few leaders have   a mass appeal, or a distinct charisma, which is the stamp of a good political leader. The cynical atmosphere of distrust is such that real trust develops in the political leaders only when .people see the results of   definite development initiatives undertaken by the leaders. The striking examples of Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar, and Mr Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat are noteworthy in this regard as they   created huge trust amongst the people because of their work.

The unsung heroes who are  involved in developmental work in the country, and who have led by example in creating a definite social impact also generate a lot of trust amongst the people. They are the leaders who strike a deep chord with the people’s hearts in their communities through their vision, action and the work they undertake. The Times Social Impact Awards rightly awarded these unsung heroes recently.

We need strong leadership in all walks of life, so that the country surges ahead. For this there has to be a genuine trust-building movement in which the people undertake sincere initiatives to build up bonds of trust with each other so that they create  a conducive atmosphere to develop themselves as leaders. If this happens, people will not have to depend on leaders to get the things moving. The leaders who occupy the offices can succeed only if they show substantial results through their work which can evoke trust from the people. In short ,trust is vital for leadership revolution

Why Many of Us Don't Trust Anyone At The Work-place?

When people prepare themselves daily for the office, they feel quite happy. Smiles are visible on their faces. It appears that they are bristling with strong daily resolve to succeed at the work-place amidst all odds. However, when the day ends, their faces wear a tense look. It seems they are struggling to find happiness in their lives. One day when I was travelling back from the office, two ladies were busy in an animated conversion. They were unanimous in their view that despite working for so many years in their respective offices, they could not trust a single person. I who was listening to their conversation felt to join them with the same view.

 Why so many  people are not able to trust anyone at the workplace despite working there for so many years? Why do we blame every time that due to others we are facing these problems? The never-ending blame game creates distrust,  and people lead lonely lives in their offices.As a result they tend to view everyone with suspicion. Due to this they do not enjoy the work assigned to them. They carry unnecessary fatigue on their shoulders. As a result they look for excuses for their inaction. They do not understand that due to their tendency to distrust everyone they are acting  as a drug on the office. In short, they have become liabilities, and they are not at all contributing to the productivity of the organization.

 Trusting each and every person in the office may look utopian, but is very important for an organization to succeed. When we trust each other in the office, then our productivity increases by leaps and bounds. We are then able to achieve targets in a short span of time, But, the question is how to generate trust? I think the initiative has to come at the individual level only. If we are able to establish sincere one-to-one communication with everybody by removing our prejudices and biases, then we can be real harbingers of change. For that we need to walk an extra mile. We need to understand the nobility of each and every person in the office. When we think that each person is noble, then we are elevating our thinking level to a higher level. This means we are coming up with an ethical approach which is good for an organization to adopt. When we believe in the nobility, or goodness of every person in the office, then our behaviour  too is moulded accordingly. The change in our behaviour acts a big stimulus in creating a congenial climate at the workplace. Trust is thus generated in a natural way, and it then provides a strong healing touch in which each and every person in the office finds strong support system amongst their colleagues only, not any one  outside.

 When people are not able to trust anyone in the office,then they look for trust within their family,and other society friends.They may find appropriate trust here,but their inability to find trust at the workplace inhibits the growth of their personality.They then carry the problems of the office at home,which disrupts their family life,and they tend to discuss the same issues with their society friends.In short,they are not able to evolve as mature persons with the right wisdom to solve the problems in  their daily life.

Trust is Important To Tackle Politics at the Work-Place

 We often say that there is lot of politics at our work-place.This is the usual observation of a professional in any field.While this is true in most of the cases,we don't look for the causes behind this general thinking.I think lack of trust leads to politics,and people tend to view each other with suspicion.When there is lack of trust,then there is no transparency.This leads to people indulging in short-cuts to take undue advantages,or prove their point at the cost of destroying their relationships.Politics leads to denaal of justice to deserving people in the office.However, we often forget that trust is the findation-stone for creating a conducive atmosphere in the work-place so that the factor of 'politics' is minimised.

 Trust can be build only if we are compassionate towards each other.Compassion can come only if we make efforts to change our behaviour.That means the need to shed arrogance is paramount here.When there is no arrogance,then we can treat each other on equal terms.The factor of eqality can create an uplifting atmoshere in the office.It will strengthen trust,which can work wonders in creating a congenial climate at the work-place.As a result,workers will have a belief in each other.and they will consider each other as 'friends',not enemies.

Why do some organisations succeed,and others fail?I think the  main cause for success of an organisation is that there is a genuine team-spirit amongst the personnel,and true empathy  flows which creates an atmosphere in which not everyone grows,but they also cherish in each other's success.However,all this is not a magic.It needs efforts by evrybody to tone their behaviour    for the sake of organisational growth.

Importance of Trust

 Trust is the key for success in any field.At a time when our ethical values have weak,trust is missing in any field of socio-economic activity.As a result there is lack of development,and there are lot of contradictions in the society.I think at the workplace,relationshipssociety and economy,trust is vital for success.It creates a conducive atmosphere in which there is goodwill all around,and the things move very fast.