Trust, Believe and Empowerment

Something happened today and reminded me of a Chinese idiom:

用人不疑， 疑人不用

What this idiom directly translates into is:

When you use someone, don't doubt; when you doubt someone, don't use.

This idiom originated from ancient China, where kings had applied (or failed to apply) this philosophy when it comes to managing his country and administration. A wise king would understand that in order for him to bring peace, glory and prosperity to his country, he would first need to learn how to trust the people in his administration and army (i.e. trust in their capability and genuine intentions) to run and protect his country. As history has shown, kings who managed to apply this philosophy had enjoyed longevity because of the genuine respect and loyalty they had gained from their subjects; meanwhile, kings who failed to do so had short-lived glory because of the distrust and betrayal from their subjects.

Human nature is still indeed human nature, it never changes with respect to time.

Thus, this idiom also applies in modern day leadership:

• Do you feel good when your boss believes in your capability and does not micro-manage your work activities?
• Do you feel good when your team leader assigns an important task to you without even questioning your confidence in delivering it?
• Do you feel good when your friend entrusts you with the responsibility of safeguarding his house and car while he's away on a long holiday without even doubting your trustworthiness?

I'm sure most of us would feel good in these scenarios above. In fact, we would feel even more motivated to deliver the tasks to our best abilities, because deep inside we feel appreciated, we feel the sense of responsibility and conviction in not wanting to let our boss, team leader or friend down. We would want to honour their trust and believe in us. Right?

In my own words:
Learn not to doubt the person whom you seek help from. Otherwise, you might as well not seek help from the person that you doubt.

Trust and believe lead to empowerment.

By empowering the people around you, you bring out the best in them, and gain respect and loyalty in return.