The key to a leader’s success is the relationship they develop with their constituents.

This relationship is always based on trust.

Without a deep sense of trust, a leader cannot have any relationship with constituents.

There are many ways to gain trust with your constituents...

<ul>
<li><strong>Do What You Say You Will Do</strong> – This the ultimate way to gain their trust. It means following through with what say you will do.</li>
<li><strong>Trust & Nurture Them To Develop</strong> – To gain trust we need to trust others. It is a two-way street. We need to be patient and give them the time to grow and develop instead of forcing the issue.</li>
<li><strong>Do The Right Thing</strong> – Regardless of whether or not anyone is watching you, integrity cannot be compromised. It takes many years to establish your credibility, but it only takes a few minutes to ruin it.</li>
<li><strong>Care For Your People</strong> – Before we ask our people to do something for us, we must appeal to them and touch their heart.</li>
<li><strong>Serve Your People</strong> – When we serve our people, we ensure that their interest is taken into consideration. By doing so, we don’t focus on who gets the credit. Our focus shifts to getting the job done.</li>
</ul>

As I write this post, I can’t help but think of Theodore Roosevelt’s quote:

<blockquote>“The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people."</blockquote>

Just like listening, by knowing our people, we can better work with them and also put them in the right position to be successful. To know them we have to make an effort to spend time with them; through the process, we will learn a lot about ourselves and our people. Think of it as an investment, an investment that will yield results over time, but in which upfront investment is mandatory.

The advancement of technology has brought about other ways for leaders to connect with their people and share their knowledge. However, just like any tool, this creates the risk of saying the wrong thing or posting material that is questionable. Social Media should be used responsibly.

Many times over the last few years, government officials have had to step down because of their wrongful use of technology. As a leader, you need to think twice and be aware that anything you say or post will be a permanent record that will be associated with you for the rest of your life. Future employers can search you and know more about you.

These records are archived and will be available for companies to use. Your e-impression is very important, because in the absence of face-to-face interaction, your e-impression is what people have to go with.

<blockquote>
<div class="quote">“Trust men and they will be true to you: treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.”</div>
<div class="attribute">~ Ralph Waldo Emerson</div>
</blockquote>

In closing, our relationship with our constituents takes time to develop, but it is easily breached when we don’t do the right thing. Be aware and be careful what you say and post. Feel free to share this post to anyone you know.