Trust-The Core of Leadership

“Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him.” – Booker T. Washington

As leaders and managers we have to move beyond the formal authority of our roles. The formal authority will only take us and our employees so far. An employee’s direct supervisor is usually always one of the top, if not the top reason, why an employee leaves an organization. Why is that? A lot of managers still lead only by flexing their formal authority. Great leaders use their influence and credibility. In other words, they focus on developing trust. Trust is really at the center of all we do, and without trust everything else around us will crack, crumble and fall.

Stephen M.R. Covey in his book ‘Speed of Trust’ says that trust is the one thing that changes everything. “Trust impacts us 24/7, 365 days a year. It undergirds and affects the quality of every relationship, every communication, every work project, every business venture, every effort in which we are engaged. It changes the quality of every present moment and alters the trajectory and outcome of every future moment of our lives – both personally and professionally.”

Have you ever heard anyone say, “Well I trust so-and-so more than the others, but I still don’t totally trust them?” We as people and leaders have a hard time trusting others, but in order to get the best out of people we must trust them. It is true that building trust takes time and a lot of work, but the leader, the employee and the organization will be better off for it. The tough thing is that you can build trust for a long time, and one thing, even a minor thing, can derail all of those efforts. For the most part, people do not wake up in the morning telling themselves that they plan on being the worst employee today. People in general want to do a good job, but if the employee does not feel that their manager trusts them, this can disengage the employee.

Communication and work will run much smoother, quicker and efficiently if everyone on the team can trust each other. Low trust or no trust can cause conspiracy theories, sabotage, and everyone always wondering who is plotting against them.

“Speed happens when people…truly trust each other.” – Edward Marshall

The good news is that as leaders we can change a low trust environment. It will take time, effort, continuous work and sustainability, but it will pay off in the long run. Leaders can inspire trust in their teams through their own personal character and competence. According to Stephen M.R. Covey, credibility and trust are earned when character and competence come together. Character is just who we are. It is our integrity, walking our talk and following through. The competence piece does not mean that we have to be the best performer in the world at what we do, but you do need the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the job. While we do not have to be the best at the specific job, leaders do need to show results. It would be hard for a coach to get hired onto any sports team with a win/loss record of 0-234 so leaders must deliver results. Again, walking the talk. 

Trust can be hard for leaders as it requires self-reflection and vulnerability, but the results of high trust teams is worth it. The team will have a much better chance of performing above expectations, and improving as a team, an employee and as a person. 

A leader can start building trust with their individual employees and within their teams by remembering to:

• Set clear expectations with each person individually and as a team. Make sure they really understand the result when the expectation is met and the consequences when the expectation is not met.
• Get to know and understand your people. And I do not mean that you need to hang out with them every night, but listen to them and get to know what is important to them and what motivates them.
• Recognize your people everyday and provide that specific, honest, open and timely (SHOT) feedback. Do not only speak to them when they have messed up.
• Practice active listening at all times.
• Remove barriers and struggles for your team.
• Let the people perform their responsibilities and tasks and do not take over for them. Help and coach without removing accountability.
• Be as transparent as possible with the team.
• Deliver results yourself.
• Always try to get better at everything you do, and ask for feedback from your team on how you can improve or be better.

This list is just a few examples, but it is a good start of some actionable items you can start doing right now to build and foster the trust in your team. By exhibiting these behaviors daily and leading by example, your team will follow and trust will grow. The leader, the employee and the company will all be better off for it in the long run.

Be Great…Today!

Brandon Brazeel, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Chief People Officer