Do people trust you, and do you trust them?
We know personal relationships are built on trust, the belief we have in someone’s integrity, ability and character.
According to Harvard Business Review’s recent research, trust is the foundation of most successful organisations. Their research revealed that high-trust organisations (where people feel safe to take risks, express themselves freely and innovate) report:
- 74% less stress
- 50% higher productivity
- 76% more engagement
- 40% less burn out
….than in low-trust organisations – and who wouldn’t want that?
What happens when trust is absent?
A low-trust organisation culture starts with low-trust relationships with leaders. People are micromanaged because of a fear that people won’t perform. Time is sucked into low-priority issues and the organisation starts to play the reactive game. People feel judged or dismissed so reduce their active contributions and there is a lack of clarity over where the organisation is heading. Result = low productivity, low engagement and high stress.
Building trust in a
ny relationships and fostering a high-trust culture has therefore never been so important for leaders. It is vital to the success of an organisation and to the wellbeing of its people.
So what is the role of a leader in building trust?
You set the tone and establish norms in your organisation through your everyday behaviours.
When you build trust with your team, you build stronger relationships, you increase morale, and ultimately foster an environment where everyone feels secure and supported.
So, how do you build trust? And how do you re-build it once it is knocked or dented?
The good old saying ‘It is what you do, not what you say‘ is so true here. Behaviours and actions will be trust building or trust breaking and there are 3 key behaviours to pay close attention to….
1) Create a safe environment. Are you showing people you trust them?
- Get connected with what people are up to.
- Show you care about people and their efforts.
- Make it safe for people to express themselves.
- Are setbacks
valued as learning opportunities? - Empower people to take action.
- Are you showing appreciation for others?
2) Be transparent and real. Are you sharing information openly? And are you encouraging open communication and feedback amongst your team?
- Self-awareness is key; knowing who you are, what you value, your strengths and limitations, your expertise, what impact you have on people.
- Are you showing your vulnerability – nobody is perfect and people trust people who admit their weaknesses, their mistakes and their limitations.
- Are you establishing clear and fair expectations so people are clear on what the priorities are?
3) Follow through on what you say – are you consistent and reliable?
- People place enormous value on things and people in whom they can rely; are you committing to promises you know people can rely on you for?
- Is your behaviour consistent? Do people know what they are going to get from you?
- Are you prioritising your relationships with people?
Teams will trust leaders; people will trust people who willingly and repeatedly show up at their side, get their hands dirty when necessary and who demonstrate their belief in themselves, other people and their vision.
Ultimately, building strong relationships based on mutual respect will create an environment where people feel heard, valued and appreciated which in turn leads to higher levels of motivation and greater job satisfaction and will reap rewards in engagement, performance and results.
How do you feel about trust in your team? Are you struggling to build all-important trust? If you are, I can help with some tangible steps you can take immediately to help.
Let’s start the conversation, I invite you to take 20 minutes to start to explore this critical ingredient in your relationships and in your leadership. You can book in here for a call with me!
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