The next principle of Advanced Change Theory (ACT) is to maintain reverence for those involved in the change. Now that you have developed a vision for the common good and are pushing outside of your comfort zone by taking action to the edge of chaos, you need to understand that how you treat others affected by the change will affect how they respond.
We don’t want to force or coerce people to change; instead, we want to attract them to our vision for the common good by modeling the way and treating them with respect and dignity.
The leader attracts others by maintaining reverence for them and an awareness of their highest potential self. This attraction process works because the individual is not operating out of self-interest but for the common good (p. 8).
Trust becomes the basis for relating. Never forget that your intentions toward others is the most important thing that determines whether or not people find you worthy of their trust. We simply don’t trust people that we think don’t care about us. Over time, your intentions become manifest in the things that you say and do. People will know if you are an egocentric or purposeful leader. If you think it does not matter, you are a fool.
Without steadfast trust, you won’t be able to lead your people through difficult and risky change. Your lofty vision for change is going nowhere unless your people take it and move it forward, and they won’t do that if they don’t trust you.
Related Posts:
Another great leader: The paradox of respect
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