Trust is one of the highest forms of motivation, and people want to be extended trust. But you can only give trust to those that are trustworthy. That leads me to this conclusion which is for me to be trustworthy I need to be two things, predictable and dependable. In the Bible 2 Timothy 2:2 it says, “Commit to faithful people who shall be able.” It does not say to commit to able people then try to make them faithful. Our tendency is to look at the gift, the ability. You can develop an ability. But faithfulness is a virtue. Being predictable and dependable is the result of being faithful. And if you want to be faithful you need to develop personal integrity!
Integrity is different from honesty; you can be honest and not good. You can rob a bank, and I can ask you if you did it, your response can be “I did” you’re honest, but you’re still a thief. Listen, honesty is conforming my words to reality, but integrity in conforming reality to my words. Big difference. With integrity if I said it I will do it, then I will change reality to conform to what I said. This is the way trust is built. This is how a character is established. The Bible tells us that God has magnified his word above his name, it does not say that God magnified his name above his word. Why? Because it’s his word that gives his name power or influence. Same with us, if our word is no good our name is no good. A good name is better than silver or gold, why? Because our value is not in our income, but in our name. Integrity is what creates value in our name.
When we are true to our word, when we do what we say, it builds personal integrity, our name carries influence in the community. Children receive the name of their father, and if he lacks integrity, the family name is weakened and begins to lose value to them. His children lose respect and lose identity that should be coming from their family name. A man’s wife carries his last name, but if her husband has little or zero integrity, she loses respect for his name and doesn’t desire to use his name.
I think you see the picture that being that trust comes from being dependable and predictable. It is formed through integrity and integrity is always doing what I said, being true to my word! You can develop an ability.
For more on this subject, you can preview the first part of my series called “Principles That Make Great Leaders” and begin to learn how to lead.
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