If we had to give one reason for whatever success our Top 20 team has had during the 23+ years of our existence, we would without hesitation say trust. We have not always agreed with each other. In fact, we have often disagreed with each other. But we have always trusted each other.
We cannot develop all of our potential as a people and as a team, we cannot accomplish all that we are capable of, if trust is not the foundation of our relationship.
In last week’s Wellness Wednesday message, we focused on a powerful way to build trust: Communicate “You Matter.” A second major way to develop and maintain trust is to Honor the Absent. How do we talk about people who are not present?
If we honor the absent, we build trust with people who are present. Because they see that we talk in an honoring way about people who are not present, they instinctively believe we will honor them when they are not present. Trust grows. However, if they hear us dishonoring the absent, they will believe we will do the same about them when they are not present.
Major events that we are experiencing in 2024 are revealing a major trust deficit. Even much of American humor focuses on dishonoring the absent and American sports has high regard for athletes who trash talk. None of this began in 2024, but the years and years of mistrust are deteriorating our life as a people.
The huge mountain we have to climb to establish trust among us will require years of each of us respecting and looking out for each other. Some steps up that mountain can be taken by honoring the absent.
Our efforts to climb that mountain are not taken in vain. We know that trust is possible because we have already experienced it.
Modeling trust may be one of the most important things we do for our students, colleagues, teammates, family, and friends. They need to see that developing trustworthiness is doable and necessary in their lives. By honoring the absent, we will show them one way of becoming trustworthy.
Best wishes from our Top 20 team…Kevin Brennan, Willow Sweeney, and Tom Cody.
www.top20training.com
info@top20training.com
