Give loyalty before it is earned

Conventional wisdom suggests one should only extend loyalty and trust to someone after they have earned it.

“Loyalty is earned, not given”, or so they say.

Great leaders don’t do this.

Great leaders trust from day 1. They are loyal from day 1.

Early into new relationships, great leaders give everyone the benefit of the doubt that they are or will become trustworthy.

Do this for one main reason: if you act as if someone has already earned your trust, you create an environment that makes it almost inevitable that they will earn it.