One thing you know about having a checking account is that before you can make withdrawals, you must make deposits. Sometimes you may make a withdrawal for more than you have in the account and with most banks, rather than refuse to honor the withdrawal they will charge you a fee for exceeding the amount in the account. Other banks will refuse to allow you to exceed your balance.

This same concept may be applied to your role as a leader. Leaders who lead well are aware of these principles at work in the relationship with those they are leading.

They know that getting followers to support them and help achieve the goals of the organization, they must first invest in relationships, especially with those she/he works most closely.

Here are some ways you can make deposits into the relationships with those you lead, so they will trust and follow you.

Practice good listening. Good listening is not easy and does not come naturally for most leaders. Good listening requires your undivided attention.

Look people in the eye when they are talking, listening to what they are saying and not thinking about what you are going to say. Ask questions for clarification and reflect back to them what you hear them saying so you are clear and they know that you understand them.

Good listening requires you to be in the moment. Don’t multi-task. Give your undivided attention by turning off and ignoring electronic devices.

Be Dependable. Let your yes be yes, and your no, no. This will go a long way in developing trust. You have to be a person of your word. Trustworthiness includes such things as being on time for your appointments, or completing or looking into something as promised.

Excuses only serve to erode trust, particularly when dealing with conflict. A leader may have a tendency to avoid conflict, but in such cases the leader’s excuses for not addressing the conflict will chip away at the trust followers may have in their leader.

Attend to the little things. When someone shares a concern, do not act as if you care when they are sharing with you, and then do nothing to help. What may appear to be a little thing for you, might not be little for the person sharing.

Model honesty. Dishonesty is probably the fastest way to overdraw your account without any chance of being allowed to go beyond what you have on deposit. Followers will tolerate many things from a leader, but dishonesty is not one of them.

If you don’t know the answer to a question when others expect you to, it is OK to say, “I don’t know, let me get back to you on that.” Resist the temptation to say what you think the influential people around you want to hear, just to appear favorable in their sight. Sometimes being honest will be costly, but it will make huge deposits into the lives of those you are leading.

At the moment, how are you with the deposit and withdrawal ratio, particularly with people who work closely with you? Are you making more withdrawals than deposits? What can you start doing today to increase your deposits?

If you would like help in achieving your goals as a leader or in any area of your life, call us at 208-880-0307 or email us at errol@errolcarrim.com to schedule a complimentary coaching session. To read Errol’s other posts, visit Christ-Centered Life Coaching.