Success depends on trustworthiness
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The elementary school’s teachers lounge was an active center for meeting and collegial conversation — and the place to find out the latest news on anyone and everything. So it was no surprise one day to walk in on a group of teachers with their heads huddled together, shooting glances over their shoulder as the door opened.
As they continued their conversation, the gasps and whispers signaled that what they were saying probably wasn’t going to be helpful to anyone. In fact, one teacher was sharing a destructive rumor about a colleague whose students had scored very well on a recent round of districtwide common assessments.
The school’s staff had begun analyzing these data in their professional learning teams. The allegation being made was that the teacher whose students had done well had helped them cheat on the test. Of course, there was no validity to the accusation; however, the teachers in the lounge seemed to all agree and laughed.
The school coach, who was present, didn’t dispute the rumor and joined in the laughter. As rumors do, this one spread quickly. The coach even shared it with the principal’s secretary. By the end of the school day, emotional tension was high throughout the building. The teacher who was being talked about also heard the rumor — and left the building in tears.
“There is one thing that is common to every individual, relationship, team, family, organization, nation, economy, and civilization throughout the world — one thing which, if removed, will destroy the most powerful government, the most successful business, the most thriving economy, the most influential leadership, the greatest friendship, the strongest character, the deepest love. On the other hand, if developed and leveraged, that one thing has the potential to create unparalleled success and prosperity in every dimension of life. Yet it is the least understood, most neglected, and most underestimated possibility of our time. That one thing is trust.”
— S.M.R. Covey, 2008
1. Self-awareness
2. Honesty
3. Sincerity
4. Competence
5. Reliability
6. Intentions
Stephen Covey emphasizes building trustworthiness through four cores of credibility:
Source: Covey, 2008.
Beslin, R. & Reddin, C. (2006, January-February). Trust in your organization’s future: Building trust inside and out is a key part of the communicator’s role as corporate conscience. Communication World, 23(1), 29-32.
Covey, S.M.R. (2008). The speed of trust. New York, NY: Free Press.
Goleman, D. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Hirsh, S. & Killion, J. (2007). The learning educator. Oxford, OH: NSDC.
Hoffer, E. (2008). Reflections on the human condition. Titusville, NJ: Hopewell Publications.
Olalla, J. (2003). Trust. Olney, MD: Newfield Network.
Sparks, D. (2007). Leading for results (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press & NSDC.
Tschannen-Moran, M. (2004). Trust matters: Leadership for successful schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.
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