Why Loyalty Doesn't Matter

Occasionally when out consulting I run into a business that was built on loyalty.  Now at first sight that sounds pretty good right?  I mean who doesn’t like loyalty?  It’s great.  It’s something we desire.  It is something we seek out.  Like a loyal dog who follows our every move, it is something that we easily recognize as being a good thing.  Right?

But it’s not.  

What is a fine attribute in pets is hardly what makes a good leader.  And worse, we often misinterpret loyalty for trust.  They are not one and the same. Loyalty is a blind attachment.  It’s a following mentality that simply follows no matter what.  There is no better way to follow a sinking ship down than to stay loyal to it.  While reason is telling you to jump or launch the dingy, loyalty forces you to blindly accept fate.  It creates an environment where the ultimate “yes men” live.  It lacks in reason what it produces in emotion.  It is a false prophet that we wrongly seek in the quest to become better leaders.  And it is destructive because reason, questioning and innovation is not cultivated where loyalty is valued.

At the end of the day, Loyalty is an emotional construct.  It is something designed to make us feel good.  It appeals to our human nature to be liked.  To be esteemed.  To be connected.  Yet it does little for effective leadership.  Any true study of the Creator Mindset relies on understanding how to cultivate creativity. And there is no cultivation of creativity where there is no level of questioning. Prodding.  Verifying. Looking at things differently.

On the other hand, trust is the real deal.  Trust encourages a relationship where the trust is there unless the trust is broken. It is a consistent and constant verification method where no one gets a free pass.  Like in our Constitution, trust is kept in perpetual limbo by a state of checks and balances.  From government to marriage – trust is one of the key foundations of the human condition. But if it is violated – there are repercussions.  If a spouse cheats, trust is broken.  Similarly, if a college doesn’t deliver what was promised – trust is broken.

You see – in that way trust is continually conditional.  It does not rely on blind faith like loyalty to drive it.  Ronald Regan was famous for saying “trust but verify”.  He understood that the conditions which create trust can be rescinded at any time.  And that resting on your laurels behind loyalty will not lead to true leadership. Because without trust there is no effective leadership.

It is tempted to be blinded by loyalty.  But instead trust is something that we need to cultivate as leaders.  It is true and noble goal that will unite any effort you seek to accomplish.  From building a business to ensuring lasting friendships – it is one of the key ingredients in life. And without trust we are simply ships afloat at sea, endlessly adrift without a north star of direction.