My friend, Noreen Kelly, has an article in Leadership Excellence magazine on the topic of trust, Why Trust Matters, It's the glue that holds us together (pdf). The key to the whole article is the last paragraph:
Trust is the most important currency in business. By opening up to what is true and creating a vision for the highest good, leaders can build a culture of trust and enhance the bottom line.
I also like her four communications-related tips for trust in the middle of the article. Noreen's got more text around each of these, but the essence is:
- Tell people what you know and don’t know
- Explain why
- Be consistent
- Don’t “spin”
If I read this right, that sounds like Honesty and Integrity with a little Humility thrown in for good measure. All good elements of communication, as well as desired traits in any leader.
[Image source: Spell with flickr by Erik Kaster]
UPDATE: Corrected URL to the article above.