Why is Trust so important?

How much has your industry changed in the last 10 years?

How will you gain and maintain a competitive edge over the next 10 years?

How will you help your organization be innovative and flexible enough to thrive during times of ongoing change?

The answer is simple: Trust.

When you have a trust-based culture, your people will seek out and fully embrace responsibility. Responsibility for great service, the highest achievable levels of productivity and innovation to create the products and services your customers need. When high levels of trust abound, high levels of communication go with it. And this type of communication helps your people become your partners in your organization's success.

The science of management played an enormous role in the miracle of American economic growth in the 20th century. This science was focused on understanding finance and business processes, and then creating systems to control the behavior of people within these systems. That worked great when labor was abundant and product life cycles were long (relative to today).

But the economic and social conditions of the 20th century are gone. Welcome to the era of globalization and speed. And an era in which a competitive edge is largely derived from innovation and creativity.

Who delivers innovation? Your people. Will a 20th century approach to leadership - emphasizing control over people - create the culture in which the most talented people will not only thrive, but attract the best talent from other organizations, too? No. It's time for a new way to lead. A new approach.

An approach that puts Trust front and center. An approach in which leaders are explicit about their desire to earn and keep the trust of their people - and then live up to the promise. An approach in which all employees fully partner with one another to create a great organization.

Why is Trust important? Let me ask another way: If Trust isn't important to a leader, what is?