“Without trust, we don’t truly collaborate; we merely coordinate, or at best, cooperate. It is the trust that transforms a group of people into a team.”
―Stephen M.R. Covey
Trust in the workplace is like a currency. It’s a gift that is exchanged – given and received. When we give this gift we have the opportunity to create high performance, boost engagement and deliver out-of-this-world outcomes. Trust is also fragile. It has to be taken care of and when lost, it can be very difficult to recover.
Gallup research reveals that 96% of engaged employees trust management, compared with 46% of disengaged employees. It also shows that highly trusted workplaces enjoy 50% higher employee productivity, 106% more energy at work and 13% fewer sick days. Companies with high trust levels outperform companies with low trust levels by 186%.
Our post-pandemic, mostly digital work environment comes with extra barriers to building and maintaining trust. Feeling connected to a company and colleagues can be more challenging when working remotely – especially for employees onboarded virtually. Managers and leaders may find it harder to give their teams the sense of stability and certainty they’re used to. Announcements are made and then quickly reversed as things outside of our control change rapidly. All of these things can erode trust.
Here are four ways leaders can intentionally build (or rebuild) trust:
1. ASSUME POSITIVE INTENT
Duke University research revealed people have a hardwired “incentive” bias – one that results in a double standard when it comes to trusting ourselves vs. others. That is, we tend to assume that our own motivations are intrinsic or honorable. We tell ourselves, “I work because I love to do a good job.” Yet, many people tend to assume that other people operate from ulterior motives – that they are only doing their jobs because they get paid, for instance, especially when issues flare up.
Leaders can make it a practice to assume positive intent—instead of believing or immediately assuming the worst of someone we work with, doing the opposite … assuming the best.
That doesn’t mean ignoring mistakes or bad behavior. It means starting from a place of trust while you find out the facts.
Do This: Next time a mistake is made, remind yourself that the person who made it cares about work and wasn’t trying to hurt the company or sabotage the hard work of the team. From there, you can address the issue from a place of possibility and trust. And so can your employee.
2. ACKNOWLEDGE PEOPLE (NOT ALWAYS PUBLICLY)
74% of employees feel they deserve more recognition than they currently receive. While frequent acknowledgement is critical to retention, knowing how your people like to be acknowledged is important, especially when it comes to building (or breaking) trust.
Sure, public acknowledgement of a team member can deliver benefits that private praise can’t—it positively affects the opinions of coworkers who haven’t interacted with that team member.
But some team members are embarrassed and may actually become disengaged by public praise. For them, you’re much better off sticking to 1:1 acknowledgement.
Do This: Ask your people what the best acknowledgement was that they ever received. Was it a gift certificate to a lovely dinner? A standing ovation at a sales meeting? Or a beautifully written letter? By acknowledging the way people want to be acknowledged, you’re already on your way to building trust.
3. TREAT FAILURE AS A STEP TOWARD SUCCESS
Fear is the opposite of trust. If employees are afraid to make a mistake, take risks, or share their ideas or opinions openly, that may point to a lack of trust or safety. It can also mean the level of innovation in your organization is on the decline. How can a team of people be innovative if there is a fear of trying new things?
Do This: At your next team meeting dedicate time on the agenda to celebrate wins AND losses. Invite team members to identify and openly discuss what can be learned from the losses to inspire future successes.
4. CELEBRATE COMPLEMENTARY STRENGTHS
How you get things done is different from everyone else on the planet because you are the only one who possesses your unique strengths and perspective.
And when you have a trusting culture at work, you get to be yourself and bring those unique strengths and perspectives to work.
We want work cultures where we get the best out of everyone, which means we are all free to perform at our best and are valued for our own strengths—not for being exact replicas of one another.
In fact, the best leaders surround themselves with people who shore up their weaknesses and complement their strengths – creating a high-performing, well rounded team.
Do This: When someone on your team does things differently than you and gets the job done, praise and acknowledge them for their accomplishment as well as their unique approach.
In my decades of facilitating leadership workshops, trust is always the most critical attribute to high-performing teams and individuals. Leaders know it’s important to build trust. What’s tricky is that people define and build trust differently.
Some people will say trust is when I’m respected. Other people would say trust is when I have a friend for a boss. When in doubt, ask. When you take on a new person or team, say:
“Who was your best coach, manager, leader or boss and how did that person build trust with you?”
Trust me, you’ll learn a lot.
