Trust: The Magic That Transforms Vision into Reality
Shantha Mohan Ph.D.
III, CMU SV : : Author: Leadership Lessons with The Beatles : : Cofounder, Retail Solutions (Now part of Circana) : : Mentor : : Author, "Roots and Wings": : DTM : : Non-Profit Board Experience
“The capacity to generate and sustain trust is the central ingredient in leadership.”?
So wrote Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus in the foreword of the book, “Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge .”?
Trust is essential in any relationship and vitally critical in business leadership.
A trustworthy leader fosters a positive and productive work environment, promotes transparency, and makes informed decisions. When trust is present in business leaders, it inspires confidence, respect, and loyalty in their team members.
It creates a culture of psychological safety and promotes a positive, collaborative working environment. When leaders have the reputation of being trustworthy, they attract outstanding talent and retain them, who, in turn, respond by bringing their best to the organization.??
A leader who has the trust of their employees can communicate more effectively because they have established credibility with their team. They can provide feedback and make suggestions without fear of negative repercussions and are likelier to receive honest feedback from their team members.
Trustworthy leaders inspire confidence by consistently doing what they say they will do and taking responsibility when things go wrong. They lead by example, showing their team members how to act with integrity and accountability.
Trust is Hard to Come By
It is tough to establish trust in a relationship. There are many reasons why this is so.
A person’s past experiences shape their feelings about trust in a relationship. If someone has a history of those they trusted not living up to it, that affects their ability to be trustful.
Trusting someone requires us to be vulnerable and put our well-being in the hands of others.?
Vulnerability takes courage. For many, it feels scary, and they would instead not put themselves at risk.
When you trust someone, you are giving up control to some extent. For example, a new team leader who feels they need to own a project outcome and their commitments to upper management may find it hard to trust that things will work out, leading to micro-management behavior.
Some people are more trusting than others by nature.
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When There is No Trust in the Leader
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it.” – Warren Buffett
The results can be disastrous when the teams don’t trust their leaders.
The team members may become apathetic and develop a “don’t care” attitude. They may stop sharing their ideas and taking risks. They may leave the organization. If customers don’t trust a business leader, you may find they would instead do business with someone else. When there is no trust in a CEO, the organization may fail.
How Do You Build Trust??
As mentioned earlier, building trust takes work and is a complex process. However, you can do it by following these tips.
Trust is a Two-Way Street?
Leaders need to be trustworthy. By the same token, they need to have trust in their teams. If you have been burnt in a relationship where your faith was misplaced, you might have trouble trusting again. There are some ways to overcome this feeling.
Start from a place where everyone is trustworthy. For those with whom you don’t already have a relationship, begin trusting them in small ways until you feel more comfortable trusting them with more critical things. With your team, you start by delegating tasks and slowly move towards empowering them, depending on what you see. Setting boundaries about yourself can help those with whom you are developing a relationship.
Start Building Trust Now
Building trust takes time. It starts when you are young. If you need to work on it, get started now. It is crucial for healthy relationships in your personal life and your credibility as an outstanding leader.?
Note: This article was first published in the CEOWorld Magazine.