“The Speed of Trust” by Stephen M. R. Covey makes the case that trust in an organization enables communication, productivity, decisions, meetings, and all other human interactions to move faster, more efficiently, and more successfully. Mr. Covey defines trust as confidence and the opposite of trust as suspicion. In an environment of suspicion, people are wary of each other and question every action and word. The time and energy wasted because of concern about what is true and real is enormous. Distrust slows down progress.
Max Kline, in his article “7 Things Good Bosses Do When Nobody’s Looking” dated September 13, 2021, stated “ 58% of people trust strangers more than they trust their boss according to Harvard Business Review. On the flip side, a Good&Co survey shows only 34% of managers trust their employees.”
“Transcendent values like trust and integrity literally translate into revenue, profits and prosperity.” — Patricia Aburdene, Author of Megatrends 2010
We know trust when we feel it. If trust seems lacking in your organization, take heart. Trust is very easy to establish, yet like everything worth having, it will take some effort. Trust is not something the company does, it is done by the top leaders and expected of everyone else. We all know the actions needed to earn trust; we simply need to do them consistently. Here are a few of those actions mentioned in “The Speed of Trust”.
Do what you say you will do. If something prevents you from accomplishing it, let those who would be affected know the hold-up and when the task can be done.
Take the high road. Be a person of integrity that does the right thing, always.
Challenge yourself to continued learning to excel in your role.
Listen intently. “Seek first to understand before being understood”, as Stephen Covey so eloquently stated.
Trust other people and build-up their confidence.
Own your mistakes. Admit fault, correct mistakes, and learn.
Own your team’s mistakes. As a leader, accept the blame for your team’s errors, help them make corrections, and be sure they learn what went well and what didn’t.
Give credit to other people. Humility makes leaders look great.
Be respectful and kind to everyone, always.
Truly care about your employees. If you don’t, they will know, and will be insulted with your falseness.
These simple actions, performed consistently, not only earn trust and respect for you, they are an example to everyone who witnesses you. What you do when you think no one is watching is who you truly are. When the entire organization has a culture of trust, the opportunities become limitless.
Teri Haynes | Business Interactions, LLC | Improving human interactions in business
