Remember Kaa, the snake, in The Jungle Book? He sings “Trust in Me” to Mowgli, to hypnotise him before eating him. So much for trusting a snake!

So, can you be trusted, or are you a snake? Generally, people want to trust people, but we get hurt from time to time by snakes, and then it’s more difficult to know who’s to be trusted. Only you know if you can be trusted. When people put their trust in you, you have a great responsibility. If you let them down, you hurt them. But you also hurt yourself. Because people won’t then trust you, and that means they won’t like you.

It is a great honour for someone to depend on you, to trust you. It makes you grow taller, because people look up to you. It gives you responsibility and authority. In the dojo, that is how you become a sensei. Your students trust you. When you come for training, your sensei has the responsibility to ensure you are in a safe learning environment, and that you have fun without getting hurt.

Trust and responsibility. They go together. And you can achieve both quite easily, simply by doing what you say you’ll do, and you’ll become a popular leader.