One small detail that can make a world of difference.

BY KELLY MAIN, WRITER AND ADVISER@THEKELLYMAIN

For Inc.

Warren Buffett. Photo: Getty Images

We often hear about how leaders should act and what leadership looks like. It’s about uplifting and motivating others, leveraging an individual’s strengths and minimizing their weaknesses. It’s being someone others can look up to and learn from. But to get there, leaders have to first be someone that others can open up to.

The art of building trust is a slow and delicate process, and it’s largely an art very few have mastered.

The missing key in building trust is that while those in leadership positions try to be the best they can be, many forget that the best leaders are those who aren’t afraid of their shortcomings. In fact, the best leaders are those who are forthcoming with their shortcomings.

Warren Buffett said it best when he said that the key to being a great leader is “the willingness to confess mistakes and invite others to do the same.”

By being open about even very trivial imperfections and mistakes, leaders can gain the trust of those they lead. In doing so, it opens the door for others to be open with us. It’s a vital element in any leadership strategy, whether that’s Elon Musk’s 3C’s Rule or Harvard’s “energy effect” that ignites extraordinary performance.

This two-way street is essential when building trust and forging good rapport, according to research published by the National Library of Medicine (PubMed). It’s essential for leaders to be successful within their role. It also helps position organizations for success. And there are a few simple reasons why that can eliminate the mystery surrounding how.

Humans Seek Security Through Reciprocity

In many ways, Buffett’s statement is reminiscent of the quote my mom often sputtered to me and brother when we were kids (and if I’m honest, still does now that we’re well into adulthood), “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Perhaps more concise is one of my late dad’s go-to lines, “you get what you give.”

Parenting of the 1990s aside, the key is that trust requires reciprocity, and the results you get depend on it. After all, we can’t expect others to be open with us if we’re closed off with them.