Trusting in Yourself:

How Being Trustworthy is Starts with YOU!

In the current times we face more and more companies are moving to a “working from home” environment, some of them laying the cement for a more permanent, post COVID19 world. The most common theme in all of these announcements is one of TRUST, whether it is having trust or being trusted.

Friends of mine who are supervisors have questioned, how can they guarantee their subordinates will work just as many hours or just as hard as they are? The answer is simple: they can’t. They have to have trust.

Trust in your teammates and/or team members isn’t based on the number of hours they work, or at least it shouldn’t be. Instead it should be focused on their results. What goals are they reaching? What are they accomplishing? How are they managing their time, and how can I see this in their work? By having open conversations with our supervisors, teammates, or those who work for us, we can continue to build on a foundation of trust, one that was hopefully in place before the pandemic.

Trust isn’t just about trusting others to do their part. It is trusting yourself to manage your time, your responsibilities, and your reputation as a professional. If you throw on comfy sweatpants and a hoodie are you going to longue about neglecting your work, or will you sit down, focused ready to drive your goals forward?

Personally, for me, I have worked almost everyday of the pandemic in jeans and a company t-shirt or shirt I would wear to the office. For me, the thought of wearing a worn in pair of flannel pajama bottoms, a tank top, and an oversized sweatshirt or blanket means snuggling up on the couch and reading. It does not mean making calls, sending emails, reaching out in any and all ways possible to get answers, finalize paperwork, or get projects from sales to our technical team. This doesn’t mean that I couldn’t work in pjs, but I want to do the best job I can… and I would like my comfy clothes for lounging and reading to not be associated with work.

Trust is more than just what clothing you wear to work from home. If you went to meet a client for lunch, would you have a beer? Would you have several? It’s not uncommon, especially in television and movies – or if you’ve ever worked for a law firm – for people to have a drink over a lunch meeting. Your employer, and the client you’re trying to win over, trust you be the successful face of your company.

Long before the recent pandemic what a person put on the internet, specifically on social platforms, had the potential to greatly impact their professional reputation and of their employer. This is something I think about daily. As someone with a passion for writing and a website dedicated to my short stories I’ve written (and have not edited), it’s hard to know when/where I should promote my stories. Especially the ones that deal with the darker undertones of humanity and less than “white picket fence” subject matter. Before I started social accounts just for my website, I was very particular about which stories I would post to LinkedIn, leaving the majority of them for Twitter & Facebook only.

Once I began lurking on #AVintheAM, I was even more selective about the stories I was posting on Twitter. While I’m really proud of my stories and am passionate about reading and writing I have to consider how I want my professional connections to view me, and to a lesser extent my employer(s). I will always stand behind my writing without censoring it or myself, but I also understand that certain platforms are for certain things. LinkedIn, for example, is for professionals. While I would like to make writing a part of my professional life, it hasn’t happened yet. My hobbies and interests give my colleagues and fellow professionals a look into who I am and the things that make me, ME! A thought-out piece of the puzzle, or meaningful glimpse behind the curtain is good. It shows that I am a real person, with real interests, and a life outside of work.

Navigating the professional world while staying true to who I am outside of it, can be tricky. I still take risks, and I've learned to hold back punches. At work and my life outside of the office, I am true to myself and trust in the person experience is making me into. I know myself and believe in my abilities, strengths, work ethic, and my writing. By trusting in myself, standing by my decisions, and going with my instincts I have given my employer a reason to trust me both working from home and trust in me.

Trusting your judgement will tell you which beverage you should order with lunch, what information to share on which social channels, and even what outfits you should (or shouldn’t) wear on conference calls. Exhibiting confidence in yourself shows your clients, your colleagues, and your employer that you trust in yourself, your decisions, and your work thus making it easy for them to trust in you as well. Trust is easy to lose, and near impossible to regain, but having it makes you invaluable to your current position or future career. Before anyone else can trust you, you need to trust yourself.