Chick-fil-a Leadercast pt3

Last week I got to attend the Chick-fil-a Leadercast at one of their remote broadcast locations. There was a lot to absorb, so I'm trying to really focus in on just a couple of the lessons I learned. I wrote about the first and second lessons in previous posts. Here's the third lesson I walked away with:

Leadership requires trust, and trust empowers good people to greater innovation and creativity.

In just a few short years, Angela Ahrendts has transformed the company Burberry from being an old, stagnant company into the vibrant, expanding company it is today. She said that the 'cause' for her success was Trust. As a leader, when you delegate something, you have to trust they will accomplish the task. You also have to trust the input you receive from others regarding a decision. If Bob from Accounting says that a decision doesn't make fiscal sense, don't argue with him over it, trust him.

Of the lessons I've come away with, this one scares me the most. Trusting others requires vulnerability. It leaves unanswered the question, "What if.....?" But the truth is, people thrive under trust. I don't know how many times I've become frustrated over the years when I have to explain my reasons again and again to those around me. I just want to ask, "Do you trust me? If so, then trust me with this!" And I've listened to church congregations spend hours debating over trivial matters, and I just want to ask, "Do you trust the church leadership? If so, then trust them with this!"

Generally speaking, people are good-willed, meaning that destruction and mayhem is not their goal. People want the best results, and they want to contribute their best. Both of those will be met if you extend trust to them. Combine this with the lesson, "people will rise or fall to the expectations placed upon them," and you have a powerful one-two punch.

Of the lessons I heard at the Chick-fil-a Leadercast, this one is certainly the most nebulous. There are times when you need to follow up with someone, and trust is something that in some situations needs to be earned. But too often I find myself living under the adage, "If you want something done right, do it yourself." How freeing it is to allow others to do the task. It may not be done exactly the way I would have done it, but if it's done, what am I complaining about?