Trustworthiness is a key ingredient of leaders. It is said the "trust starts with integrity." What do you think? Kindly share your experiences.

Leaders should be people of extraordinary integrity and trustworthiness with a profound sense of purpose and willingness to live by their core values, people of high morals ethics and values, building their legitimacy on truth,  honesty and ethical foundation, practicing their values consistently and lead with their hearts and heads. 

No trust, no effective communication

No effective communication, no mutual understanding

No mutual understanding, no achievement.

So, Trust is the motive of success.

Trustworthiness is one of two key dimensions contributing to credibility. While integrity can be seen as the foundation or building block of honesty, I don't see it as the "genesis" of what it is to be trustworthy. In many cases a leader is entrusted with information that he/she cannot divulge, but may have the ability to share portions of that information pertinent to accomplishing a critical task. A "half-truth" if you will. (I have personally experienced this when going through the sale and acquisition of a previous company where I was a director.)This obligation to the integrity of his/her leadership position supersedes the individual’s personal desire to disclose all the information. However, this does not make the individual any less trustworthy, nor is it a testament to pure integrity. I propose that this is a symbiotic or interdependency of the two. Honesty, integrity, credibility, fidelity, and yes trustworthy, are all words that we can use separately, but are truly interdependent, and in my opinion cannot exist as a singular trait or as the predecessor to another. Rather, these traits are developed, some more than others, but nonetheless coexist.

Trustworthiness is indeed a key factor for leaders. Your followers need to trust you based on your values& integrity. This is what makes leaders: the fact that they never compromise their values under any circumtances.

One may judge that others have integrity to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold. In other words, an individual's value system provides the framework within which he/she acts in ways which are consistent and expected. I think that we must ensure that the leaders' value system is the one which we identify to be a good constructive one. This is well put by the late Dr. Covey as the timeless, international, human values. Without this clarification destructive leaders who had integrity based on distorted value systems will be included.

Hi Mohammad.

If we are to look at the world's top most companies, for sure we will consider the following factors (to name a few..) -

1. history of trust built with the customers. 

2. building relations that last long for generations to come. 

3. Is it just a money making company OR really have some values, vision-mission to chase, any Corporate Social responsibility, etc. 

4. Is the company predictable. (meaning - can a common man invest confidently in their shares). 

5. Last but most important - Who is leading this company. How is he as a human, as a Leader. What does he envision for his company. Where will he take the company next5-10 years. 

If the leader is not trust-worthy, then it leaves the employees (members) and the company's good-will at a negative stake. 

As a human, a company member, a family man, as a manager and a Leader, I have had personal experiences where i learnt that it's essential to have a solid Integrity in whatever Role you play. 

Integrity then earns you Trust, Respect... which will accompany you a long long way chasing your ambition and in your personal life. 

Hope this helps.

Best Regards, Ananth

Trust makes deposits into the emotional bank of people. This is the essence of building a team