Objective - "To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved." – George McDonald, 1824-1905, Scottish author and Christian minister. This profound statement highlights the vital role of trust in leadership, particularly in educational settings. Trust fosters open communication, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose, which are essential for achieving educational goals and nurturing the growth and development of all members of the school community. Trust serves as the foundation for positive relationships, effective teaching, and successful learning, ultimately leading to a more cohesive and productive school culture.

Methodology/Technique - This article outlines the development of trustworthy leadership for school administrators through studies on 1) Leadership and development frameworks, 2) Trust levels of Thai primary school administrators, 3) Strengths and weaknesses in leadership development, and 4) Strategies for improvement. A multiphase, mixed-methods approach was employed, involving a sample of 1,185 participants, including directors, deputy directors, and teachers, who were selected through a multi-stage random sampling process.

Findings - The data analysis employed both statistical and content methods. Key findings include: 1) Trustworthy Leadership Framework: Four aspects—Competence, Integrity, Openness, and Caring—along with two learning areas: individual (e.g., mentoring, coaching, e-learning) and group (e.g., action learning, networks). 2) Trust Levels: Caring had the highest trust scores; competence had the lowest.

Originality - 3) SWOT Analysis: Strengths included mentoring for management competencies, while weaknesses involved group learning through camp training. Technological factors both supported and hindered development in specific areas. 4) Strategies: Two key approaches—transforming group learning (4 sub-strategies) and enhancing individual learning (5 sub-strategies)—were proposed for developing trustworthy leadership.

Type of Paper - Empirical

Keywords: Trust, trustworthy leadership, leadership development, primary school, school management, school administrators

JEL Classification: D72, I20.

URI: http://gatrenterprise.com/GATRJournals/JMMR/vol10.1_1.html

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2025.10.1(1)

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