Trust is the foundation of healthy relationships and healthy organizations. Trust for a leader can help them to lead change efforts in the organization as well as lead to high morale in an organization. In the book "Speed of Trust" by Stephen M.R. Covey (the son of Stephen Covey) he says trust can be built and the major components upon which it can be developed are: character, competence, and communications.

• ​Character - this component focuses on integrity, honesty, following through on things that you say you are going to do, acting on your values, and doing the right thing even when things are tough. Character trust is often where trust is most violated and hardest to build back.
• Competence - this area  focuses on the ability of a person to do what she/he says they are going to do. How able are they to do their job, be a leader, and get results etc. For leaders it also focuses on how able are they to develop their employees, delegate to them, and grow them.
  
• Communications - this segment talks about the ability to be transparent, open, let people know what is going on, and being willing to communicate with others even when it is difficult.
  

​If there is low trust in your organization and/or in your relationships which component(s) is there low trust in? What can you do to build or rebuild trust if it is not there?

Are you typically a glass half full or half empty type of person? If you are a glass half empty person do you ever wish that you could see the world differently? As a leadership trainer and coach I often tell people to reframe their thoughts and focus on opportunities rather than problems but it can be hard to do. If you are not trained that way it can be learned. It is a discipline just like healthy eating, healthy workouts, healthy relationships, and healthy living. Healthy emotional states can also be learned through discipline and focus each and every day.

​So what can we do to stay focused on the positive and create a glass half full mentality?

• ​Choose to habitually learn to focus on the positive - each day learn to write down what went well that day. Write down 3 things daily in order to begin to appreciate life rather than continually focus on what has not worked.
• Become truly aligned to being in the present - often we focus on what is not working because we are regretting something we did in the past or worried about the future. In the present life can be made through actions we take and the people we continually surround ourselves with. Be present and focus on what is right in front of you.
  
• Train your emotional self to be healthy through mindfulness practices - in order to be in the present and truly let go of negative emotions we can practice being mindful through things such as meditation, walking in nature, being surrounded by positive people, and encouraging self-care by taking some time to yourself to healthily pursue things that do make you feel good each and every day.
  

​What can you start doing consistently to shift to a more positive healthy emotional state? How can you be in the present more often?

Emotional health and moods are so critical in positively moving forward in life and as leaders in organizations. Moods impact how we show up, how we interact with others, and what actions we end up taking. We can be in negative moods such as resignation or resentment due to circumstances we are living in or have lived in or we can shift our mood to positive ones such as acceptance or ambition. Whatever mood we live in or are in right now impact how we perceive things and the actions that we take. I find that community is such an important component of having positive moods.

​They say that 5 people who you spend the most amount of time with impact you. I say that healthy positive people and community support can truly enhance and create the positive environment that allow for more consistent positive moods and more ability to bounce back from set backs which can be inevitable in life and leadership. Supportive community is a key component for leaders to thrive as they provide perspective, support, collaboration, and a new way of looking at things if you are in a negative mood.

​As a leader what types of communities are you a part of? What positive influences can you surround yourself with? Are you a part of networking groups, faith based groups, hobby groups? How can the help of community enhance your moods?