Politics is rife in the air again. The politicians are out in full gear from district to district campaigning, trying their utmost to convince you to vote for them and give them the opportunity to govern the country. Every one of them seems to have the master plan that will put the country back on the road to prosperity, but the question before you is – “Can you really trust them?” better yet, Do you trust them?
When making your decision as to who to choose, ask yourself – What are their track records? On a personal level, what have they accomplished or achieved for themselves and their families? Have they managed their life and their family life well? Are their personal lives a success? What have they done for their community/ communities thus far? What investment(s) have they made in their country thus far? What are some of their contributions to society as a whole?
More importantly, pay special attention to your candidate(s). Can you trust him or her? What is his or her track record? What is his or her vision for the country? Have they shared a clear vision for your community or country that excites you? Has he or she shared with you how that vision can be accomplished? Can you visualize that vision? How do you see yourself in the grand scheme of things? Can you see beyond your current reality? Can you trust him or her to bring that vision to fruition? Can you really trust him or her to govern the country effectively and efficiently? Those are some very pertinent questions that you need to answer for yourself.
You may be wondering, why is the element of trust important to a voter when selecting a candidate for leadership? The answer is simple, because if the voter does not trust his/her candidate to lead, that voter would not follow his leader. Inspiring trust is essential to successful leadership. People will not follow someone as their leader unless they trust him or her; they won’t follow anyone unless they believe that person knows and communicates what he or she is doing.
Trust is defined as “reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person; having that confidence in.” When you trust a person, you believe that they have your best interests at heart. They would not do something to hurt you, or for selfish gain. You rely on them. A candidate must earn a person’s trust by consistently proving themselves to those they wish to vote for them. They must show the voters that they will not use them or take advantage of them. They will not abuse them in any form or their generosity. They will think of their well-being at all times before acting.
You see, when selecting a candidate it is not about a popularity contest. Running a country is a very serious business and one that should never be taken lightly or be left to chance or based on emotions. It calls for selfless devotion and sacrifice. Country must always be placed above self. There is no way to assure a person that you are trustworthy outside of your actions. Broken trust can take years, even decades to repair. It is a very sensitive issue. Therefore, the candidate you choose must be trustworthy. Nothing impacts a candidate’s ability to motivate his followers more than the level of trust they have in him as a leader. Trusted leaders, first and foremost, are those whose actions match their words. In the same way children emulate what parents do more than what they say, followers look to see if the actions of their leaders align with their words. Keeping words and actions consistent builds trust and credibility like nothing else. Trust will be an essential ingredient in getting the candidates to pursue their vision and implement their strategies with the help of the people.
As the saying goes, sometimes in life, you just have to trust someone. But the question is who, and when? Putting your trust in others is a test of faith regardless of who and when. Hence, the voters must have confidence in their leaders. If you are desirous in finding out if you trust or can trust your candidate or candidates, here are a few things you can look for as to how to and how to know when you can trust someone:
1. When a person has demonstrated over a very long period of time that they can be trusted. Not just with you, but with everyone else in their life. For example, if the person has never given you or anyone else any solid reason to not trust him or her, then the odds are very good that you can trust him or her as well.
2. Observe their behaviour. Look at the way they act. How do they treat others? Are they inconsiderate? Are they self- centered? How do they handle difficulties/ pressure? Are they courageous? What are their values? How do they make decisions? Are they accountable for their actions?
3. Listen to them, communication is important. When they talk to you, do they redirect their conversation towards other people – and if they do, are they saying negative things about them? When asked a direct question, do they side track, divert or evade the issue(s) at hand.
4. Reliability, do they keep promises? Everyone lets someone down from time to time, but if someone is continuously letting you (or anyone else) down with little-to-no excuses, then they are not very reliable. Part of having trust in someone derives from being able to have faith in them and rely on them to keep their word.
5. Honesty. Someone who constantly lies is probably doing so as a result of trying to save themselves. Intentions are another thing to consider, but someone who constantly lies or evades things about themselves in order to look good may have something to hide. If they can lie about their own life, then imagine what else they are willing to lie about. Someone who has to lie to get themselves out of a negative situation is not trustworthy, just like someone who maliciously spreads lies about other people is spiteful.
6. Personality. Another thing to consider is whether the candidate is a self-centered person or not. Self-centered people only care about themselves and those close to them. They are more likely to let you down on more than one occasion than anyone else. Some people will make exceptions for the very few people that they care about, but if they constantly make themselves top priority then, those people have the potential to betray you when given the chance.
7. Is the candidate a learner? Are they the kind of person that listens to others’ advice? Are they the kind who truly grows and learns from mistakes they have made? Learners deserve another chance. Non-learners don’t.
8. Learn more about them. Find out what motivates their feelings, emotions, and desires. This is a very important step in developing trust. You cannot really begin to trust someone, until you can truly understand them and actually get to a point where you can predict what they would do. Really examine who they are and learn about them. When they meet with you, cite or pose situations and see if you can predict what they would say or do, or what they wouldn’t. If you don’t know, you don’t know them well enough to trust them yet. Keep learning about them.
It is wise to bear in mind, that in order for the leaders to earn trust from their voters, they must demonstrate: Integrity, Loyalty, Wisdom, Honesty, and Respect. And for trust to be freely given to them from their voters, they must demonstrate: Vision, Reliability, Strength, Commitment and Passion.
Remember: Trust is to human relationships what faith is to gospel living. It is the beginning place, the foundation upon which more can be built. Where trust is, love can flourish. Barbara Smith
