TRUST
“Trust is the one thing that changes everything.”
Re-stated, “Lost trust is the one thing that changes everything!” Consider losing trust in your most intimate relationship(s), your leader, or the company you work with and for. Think about it! What would any one of those lost trusts feel like? A bit devastating, eh?
According to our TTI DISC studies, 40% of the population are slow to trust. AND – if you are not one of those people who are slow to trust, this statistic is hard to believe. But it is true – trust me…please!
Trust building for leaders and teammates doesn’t happen naturally. It takes intentional effort. One of our highly successful clients realizes this and asked TQC to facilitate instruction to several hundred associates on the importance of identifying and practicing high-trust behaviors in the workplace.
During brainstorming activities, the teams came up with some of the most important high-trust behaviors that they want from their leadership team, some of which are listed below:
Transparency – which can often sound like, “we need more communications from the top!” OR we know what they are telling us but what are they not telling us? With the best of intentions, Leaders often want to share the good news. As humans, we want to know the good, the bad and the ugly – and the opportunity to make a positive differences.
Right Wrongs – which leads to a valuable leadership lesson. It’s ok to be vulnerable. You can’t know everything and that’s ok! When a mistake is made, let’s focus on what’s wrong and not who is wrong! However, as a leader, when (not if) I make a mistake, I own the mistake and then do my best to fix it! I once worked for a leader who would often say, “I may not be right, but I’m certain!” Good luck figuring out the meaning of that! I think it was his (painful and Fonzarelli) way of saying, “maybe I was wr-wr-wrong!”
Clarify Expectations – What is specifically expected of me in my role? How will I know when expectations are met? When reviewing Gallup’s Q12 Employee Engagement questions, we learn that, as an employee, I should be able to respond affirmatively to “I know what is expected of me from work.” This is a foundational need of every person in the workplace and cannot be left to chance.
Trust doesn’t come naturally for a lot of people and for a variety of reasons! A clever analogy by Stephen C. Covey, “Trust is like the air we breathe – when it’s present, nobody notices; when it’s absent, everybody notices.” A healthy, culturally-strong workplace is built on Trust.
Building trust takes time and consistent effort. As a leader, what can you do to safeguard your credibility and integrity with those who look to you for leadership as well as your peers?
Take the first step toward building trust by joining our Cultivating Kindness in the Workplace session on April 30, 8:30-10:30am at Exit 11 Workspace. $139 per participant. Register here.