Being a "human leader" and earning trust.

How difficult is it to be a “perfect leader”? Quite honestly– I don’t think they exist. I will never try to be one, nor should you. History has no records of one. Of course there have been great leaders that have built nations and shaped the world we live in today. However, they were all human. Just like you and me – filled with emotions, personality quirks and nuances the history books will less than likely record. (I promise to make a post with a link to History’s greatest Leaders next.)
You probably wouldn’t be reading this if you had no interest in learning and growing as I am. However, we do need to recognize that we are human and we all make mistakes.
To expect perfection of oneself creates an unnecessary stressor you don’t need. If anything, I have always admired managers who admitted their flaws or faults. As soon as a manager or a team member tries to push off responsibility or starts “finger pointing”, trust is immediately lost – not to mention their so-called leadership status. You can always delegate tasks, but you can never delegate responsibility. The most important part of making mistakes is that we learn from them. Obviously, I do not expect us to be going around repeating the same mistake and play the “I’m only human” card. We are better than that.
One can argue: “Well, if we are responsible for ALL details and get involved in each and every one of them – would we not be perfect then?” No. That is micro-managing. You cannot expect your team to perform if you do not trust them and are constantly looking over their shoulder. In fact, has anyone ever heard the term “you can’t lead from behind”? This is so true, and more on that in a future Blog. Therefore, how do we get the team to follow and perform if we ourselves are so flawed and show our “tender underbellies”? Whatever we do, we cannot force people to follow. That basically results in a managerial “dictatorship” and/or people just doing their job (see my previous post).
How about Trust? The kind that says “If I do my job, I know my leader will stick his/her neck out for me.” I know this is rare – but it is out there. When you know they’ve got your back, you feel secure (think about it… it is one of those basic needs being met). As a result, you feel ready to do whatever may be asked of you. Can we agree that a large component of leadership involves earning trust, being open and admitting your human nature? Sure. In the end, what you are creating is an agreement with those around you that allows you to be their leader. Once this un-written agreement is forged and trust is earned, team members will do their best to do their part in charging toward the final goal you define.