One of the common discussions that I’ve come across in leadership discussions in organizations is “How do we build trust?”. I’ve thought about this question from two perspectives – building trust at an individual level and at an organizational level. If one wonders what the difference is, trust needs to start with individual actions in direct interactions and they have to be manifested to a wider audience or stakeholders through organizational processes, practices and systems. Multiple studies have found that trust is a crucial factor for team performance, including in sports. This applies to any type of organization.This post focuses on the individual aspect. Trust can be built more consciously at an individual level with fundamental actions – which I term as “Trust Guidance”. For someone wondering about how to build trust, these are useful starting points. These come from direct observations, and work with leaders and organizations.<\/p>\n
1. Be visible.<\/b>
\nDon’t get too busy with meetings and spend most time within closed doors. \u00a0All stakeholders especially your team members have a high need to see their leaders. \u00a0As human beings, visibility is reassuring and builds certainty and confidence (neuroscience research findings support this).<\/p>\n
2. Be respectful.\u00a0<\/b>
\nBeing respectful in your direct and virtual interactions, irrespective of organizational levels are huge motivators for individuals. The lower you go, the more charged up and motivated individuals are when they feel leaders found time for them, even to have a short conversation or acknowledgement. People also go through good and bad phases at work or personal lives. \u00a0Respecting their space, especially during bad phases go a long way to building commitment and trust.<\/p>\n
3. Be aware of self and impact of one’s behaviors and actions on others.<\/b>
\nTake time to understand yourself, what drives you, your values, principles, strengths, development areas. \u00a0Self awareness is the starting point of any development effort. Next stage is to understand others around you and your impact of actions on people around. \u00a0Trust is a two way street and someone needs to extend a hand forward first to get the process of interactions into motion.<\/p>\n
4. Be authentic, consistent in behaviors and actions. \u00a0<\/b>
\nBe yourself. Don’t try to be someone else. Most people are smart enough to see through ‘fake’ personalities. This does not indicate the license to do whatever to be oneself, rather being aligned to \u00a0values and principles which are built as part of self awareness. \u00a0Practice what you preach. \u00a0Admit mistakes with accountability when they happen and share recognition when success is achieved. \u00a0It is also helpful to explain your thinking approach as people think differently about a certain topic and may struggle to see the rationale in another person’s approach.<\/p>\n
5. Be open to discussions, while being conscious of biases.<\/b>
\nHaving the openness to discuss aspects that you may not agree with and have a strong view about, may help you see many possibilities and ideas that are otherwise missed. \u00a0Sometimes, it helps to be open about the fact that you have a strong view for a certain reason. \u00a0It also encourages others to share ideas and thoughts with you without fear. Presence of fear is one of the biggest barriers to trust. \u00a0Nobody wants to be the ’emperor with the naked clothes’ but there is a probability of unknowingly becoming one with and it becomes very difficult to call someone out when the perceived power distance is higher. \u00a0Being vulnerable, even to some extent is a big factor for others to see the humanness and accessibility.<\/p>\n
6. Be fair in approach and communicate, especially tough choices.<\/b>
\nPeople can live with tough choices if they feel it was based on a fair process and they’re not being misled into believing so. Many times, lack of visibility to the process or the way it was communicated or absence of it, result in difficult scenarios and contradictions for everyone involved.<\/p>\n
7. Reflect constantly and make necessary changes.<\/b>
\nTake out some thinking time with yourself or with your social network, coaches or mentors who can help with your thinking process and getting to more clarity on changes and actions. Everyone has a different scenario to think about and there are no perfect answers that address all scenarios. Observing, reflecting and adjusting your approaches accordingly would help you figure out the best approach for your environment.<\/p>\n
Are there any other fundamental starting points in your view?<\/p>\n
Best wishes on your leadership journey…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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