This is the second in a series of posts exploring the topic of mission and vision, leading up to our webinar presentation in March—3 DANGEROUS TRENDS FACING ASSOCIATIONS AND NON-PROFITS. Today we’re talking about why trust matters…
When you think about it, trust is a critical foundation to the building of success in our lives, our families, our communities, and beyond. Trust creates an incubator of safety where people feel comfortable talking about new ideas, asking questions, challenging the status quo and taking risks. Without trust there would be no innovation, no exploration, no reason for imagining something bigger or striving for something better.
Trust Matters
Trust comes from being a part of something bigger, something that you believe in. Trust thrives in an environment where what you believe is brought to life by WHAT you do and HOW you do it. When your WHY, HOW and WHAT are in balance and congruent, your authenticity shows =)
The Shackelton Example
I love this story about the Shackelton Expedition’s attempt to cross Antarctica. Once Roald Amundsen became the first to reach the South Pole, the final challenge became crossing the entire continent. The English adventurer, Ernest Shackleton, understood this to be no task for the faint-of-heart.
Giving his team a vision for something bigger, yet being honest about the risk, would be the key to building trust. He ran this simple ad in the London Times: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.” Commander Shackleton understood that he was looking for survivors!
As it turns out, the captain and his crew never reached the continent of Antarctica. The ship became trapped in miles of ice pack when winter moved in early. The crew watched as ice floes finally crushed Endurance, sinking her on November 21, 1915. An escape by lifeboats brought them to Elephant Island. From there Shackleton set out with only five crewmembers. They were able to find help, return to the island and rescue the remaining crew.
Despite the fact that their mission was never completed, there are several successful elements to the story’s conclusion that demonstrate the crew’s complete trust in their captain. There was no mutiny, no stories of cannibalism and they all made it home alive.
Why Trust Matters
Clearly communicating a vision that connects with your audiences on an emotional level gives them something to believe. Those shared beliefs build trust because members know that your organization is driven by something other than self-gain. When you recruit those who are passionate for your WHY, loyalty is already a part of the equation. This allows your organization the freedom to focus on growing the natural gifts and strengths of members and staff.
In our next blog we will talk about how to build a culture around an effective vision statement.