A Drop in the Bucket
February 25, 2025 | Chris Bombei
Leadership. How do you define it? What are the key qualities of a good leader? What makes others want to follow a great leader? Those are questions that have filled my mind as I sat down to think about exactly what to write for this month’s blog post.
We see great examples of leaders in all walks of life. I am drawn to people like Abraham Lincoln, Condoleezza Rice, or Martin Luther King Jr., who stood for things far bigger than themselves. I am also drawn to leaders like General Norman Schwarzkopf or former President Bush, who had to assure people that they would follow them in very difficult and stressful situations. I am drawn to leaders like Vince Lombardi, Tony Dungy, or Chuck Noll who understood the value of the team and getting a group of individuals to not only do things they didn’t think they were able to do, but to also get them to come together to accomplish a common goal that they could never accomplish as individuals. All these leaders give us tremendous examples of various traits that can be found in a great leader, but one that stands out to me in all of them is trust.
Trust is that essential building block to getting a group of people to believe they can accomplish something special. Trust is that key element that causes people to want to follow. Trust is that ingredient that draws people to a bond much stronger than the effort at hand. Trust is critical to being a leader and to being a great team!
The thing is, trust takes time. Trust takes experiences. When I think of trust, I think of a bucket of water. You fill that bucket one drop at a time. It is imperative to not only keep it full, but to also not knock it over. In one simple move, the bucket can be knocked over, and the water spilled out. This can happen in an instant, and when it does, you are left with no other option but to start over, filling the bucket one drip at a time. The key for any great leader is to never kick over the bucket.
Any time you lead a team, they have to know that, regardless of the circumstances, you will always lead them with the utmost integrity. They have to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that any decision you make will be with their best interest in mind. Simply put, they have to know that you are fighting for them!
We have no greater example of this type of leader than Jesus Christ. When Jesus was on Earth, he spent time with people. Sometimes it was his disciples, while other times it was the broader population. Regardless of who he was with, he spent time developing trust. People were initially skeptical, but through his actions and his words, people grew to understand that he was incredibly trustworthy and that, not only could they follow him, but they needed to follow him. Jesus led through great times and difficult times. He took opportunities to build trust so that at all times, people knew that he was a great leader!
In order for each of us to excel as leaders and follow in the footsteps of those who came before us, it is imperative that we build that trust within our teams. It is imperative that we model the efforts of those like Jesus who excelled in this area. Once we have our team’s trust, the sky is the limit on what can be accomplished!
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