“The glue that holds all relationships together, including the relationship between; the leader and the led is trust, and trust is based on integrity.” This wise statement by Brian Tracey embodies the synergistic relationship between leaders and followers that this article will focus on. According to the course textbook, leadership can be defined as “the process of influencing an organized group towards the achievement of its objectives”. (Hughes, Ginnett & Curphy, 2009, p.4) While this statement is valid, I firmly believe that it is a leader's responsibility to make a positive impact in a subordinate's life. This document will discuss why building trust is important in building a team, how to build trust, and finally analyze a personal course of action to implement when joining the fleet. Building trusting relationships is a crucial backbone in the body of a team. As stated earlier, it is the leader's responsibility to make a positive impact in a subordinate's life. I saw this impact firsthand during my time as an Ensign. LT Bill Burke, former consultant to the Echo company, has consistently gone above and beyond the minimum requirements as a consultant. He was able to do this by implementing a legitimate open-door policy. Unlike most CO's open door policies, LT Burke felt it was important to encourage people to come talk to him. An example of how he made a positive impact in an ensign's life was convincing a MIDN to stay in the ROTC after getting his girlfriend pregnant. LT Burke always fought for his people; as a result, they supported him in his endeavors. He was nominated and awarded the title of National Naval Professor of the Year in 2009. According to Stephen Covey, confidence is the highest form of human motivation; can bring out the central part of the paper el-Aziz, A. (2010). Trust and leadership. Informally published manuscript, LeadershipLaboratory, SANS Technology Institute, Denver, Colorado. Retrieved from http://www.sans.edu/research/leadership-laboratory/article/1588Covey, S. (1990). The 7 habits of highly effective people. New York, NY: Free Press.Covey, S. (2008). The leader in me. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.Dirks, K. T. (2000). Confidence in leadership and team performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(6), 1004-1012. Retrieved from http://portal.psychology.uoguelph.ca/faculty/gill/7140/WEEK_8_Feb.27/Dirks_JAP2000.pdfHughes, R.L., Ginnett, R.C., & Curphy, G.J. (2009). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience. (6 ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.Statton, J. (2011, June 03). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://michaelhyatt.com/6-ways-leaders-can-build-trust.html