Want to build trust? Have the right kinds of conversations.

I've heard so many writers talk about using ChatGPT that I thought I'd ask it for some help. The results were not stellar, but they were interesting. Ultimately my bot-friend and I engaged in some back and forth that helped us get to something better than it could write on its own, and faster than I could have written on my own.

So anyway, after several iterations and my heavy-handed editing, here’s what we wrote together:?

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If you’re a leader in a complex organization you have one primary responsibility: creating a trusting environment. One where folks listen, chime in, share their skepticism, seek alternatives, and come together to solve problems.?

And honestly, there is only one way to build that trust: in conversation. Yes, you have to keep your word and yes, your actions have to resonate with what you say. But it’s the way you connect with others, and the ways you encourage connections on teams, that will make or break your culture of trust.?

We teach all of this in our workshop, Conversations That Count.

You’ll learn how to use conversations to convey your curiosity, honesty, empathy, consistency, and care.?

You’ll learn how to use conversations to create space for others to share their ideas, ask for help, alert you to problems, and offer solutions.?

None of that happens without trust.

WHY DOES TRUST MATTER AT WORK?

(It seems obvious, right? but ChatGPT wants to talk about it, so here goes):?

First off, trust makes everything good go faster. There are whole books written about this, based on research studying people in the workplace.?

But why? Why do good things happen faster??

• Where there is trust there is greater collaboration. Colleagues are more likely to share ideas, not shut others down, ask for help, and work together to achieve a shared goal.?
• Where there is trust there is greater productivity. Yes, more widgets get made, more grants get written, more courses get developed, more programs get designed and approved. But there are other measures of productivity too – others that are equally valuable and frankly, more important to your campus culture: less time wasted in pointless meetings, less hostility over email, less red tape, less grandstanding, less bureaucracy.?
• Where there is trust there is greater inner work joy. There are also whole books and a kajillion research projects showing this: people who trust their bosses and colleagues find greater satisfaction in their work, which indeed has a ripple effect – including higher profits and increased employee retention.
• Where there is trust there is less quiet quitting. Whether you think “quiet quitting” means folks are disengaged and not doing their work, or you think it’s simply folks setting boundaries and working reasonable hours, quiet quitting means one thing: your people are making choices about their engagement quietly – without talking to you about it. It’s the “quiet” in quiet quitting that’s dangerous: it shows that you can’t be trusted to listen. Where there’s trust, people can be open and honest about their engagement and boundaries and you can work together to address and respond to their needs.?

One thing ChatGPT did not add that is super relevant to us in higher ed:?

Trust creates the circumstances for tapping into the deep benefits of diversity – what Scott Page calls “the diversity bonus.”?

His research shows that for complex tasks, the most successful teams have both identity and cognitive diversity. BUT: that’s only true if the team is inclusive. If they are, they listen better and are more open to people’s ideas. (The Diversity Bonus: How Great Teams Pay Off in the Knowledge Economy.)?

And the way to get there is through conversations.?

If you'd like to learn more, message me or come register for the workshop I'm leading with Debbie Okerlund . Registration is open only for a few more days.