Become a Trust Building Leader
Become
a Trust Builder
Trust is the most underrated aspect of a business relationship. The presence of trust makes any effort possible. The absence of trust corrodes any relationship and erodes power till nothing is possible.
Trust in a business relationship is different than trust in a marriage or the trust we place in a pilot when we board an airline. I would even differentiate the concept of business trust from the idea of ethics. Not that trust can be built without being ethical, but in the context here trust has a different nuance. Trust in a business relationship is about many things, but mostly it is about being consistent with those with whom we deal with. The secret to building business trust is to be the same today as you were yesterday and will be tomorrow. Trust is built when others can count on what we say as being what we do
It does not engender much trust in an
organization when management becomes known for saying one thing and then doing
another. Unfortunately, many companies and corporate executives do not put a
high degree of importance on establishing trust with employees because they
don’t believe it to be necessary. It’s an attitude of “Why do we need trust
when we have the power?” This way of thinking misses the point.
Trust can be like a “get out of jail
free” card to be played when needed. An employee may not fully understand the
decisions of the leader, but if trust is present in the relationship, then the “trust
card” can be used to get a buy-in from followers. When a leader has built a
high level of trust with followers, it is more likely they will accept the leader's decisions, even
if they don’t understand the reason, because experience tells them it is ok to
follow – even blindly.
Conversely, without trust any venture
will suffer in ways unimagined. Lack of trust breeds suspicion. Those who don’t
know who to trust in an organization trust no one. Productivity suffers.
Employee morale implodes. Turnover is high and the ability to attract qualified
replacements is restricted. When trust in an organization or leader is lost, the
employees tend to adapt a self-preservation attitude that turns their efforts
and interests from an organizational focus to purely personal survival. When this
happens, failure is not far behind.
If we are in a leadership position, we need to keep reminding ourselves
that if we fail to gain or lose the trust of others, then no matter what the objective is, it
will be unlikely others will follow. Attempting to lead without simultaneously
building trust from constituent followers is the prescription for a difficult
time.
The first step to building trust in
business relationships is to recognize that it is a process not a procedure.
Trust cannot be mandated. True deep-seated trust does not come overnight, it comes
over time.
It cannot be stressed enough that
trust is engendered through openness, integrity, clarity of expression, and
constancy of purpose and actions. It’s a product of saying what you’re going to do, and then doing it,
without changing course. There is no faster way to lose trust than to take actions
that emits signals that you are not concerned about the best interests of your followers.
Never discount the value of trust. The
presence of trust can be a powerful force that enables individuals and organizations
to unite in a coordinated effort to accomplish great things. The absence of trust eats away at the very soul of
an organization and paralyzes all effort.
For those who seek to achieve success
as a leader, the process starts by understanding and respecting the value and
power of trust. And this is accomplished by becoming a consistent dedicated trust builder.
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Bob MacDonald -- Former CEO of ITT Life, founder of LifeUSA, retired chairman and CEO of Allianz Life of North America; author of numerous books on business, management and leadership.
bobmac5201@gmail.com
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