Whom We 'Fall' For

I don’t know who invented the ‘trust fall’ but I have some user feedback.

I learned of the concept years ago at team-building off-site.??Essentially, someone stands behind you, and you – heart racing, palms sweaty and eyes closed (praying…) roll onto the backs of your heels and drop into their arms.??Because you?trust?they will catch you.

Oh, jeez.

I’m a team-player through and through. But the whole scene made me nervous.??My “trustee” seemed lovely, but I’d known him all of 5 minutes.??I remember thinking,?“is it rude to ask to see a few push-ups before this gets underway?”?

While I didn’t hit the earth, I haven’t done a trust fall since.??Because trust just doesn’t work that way.??In any relationship – work or personal – trust is?earned, not requested or demanded.

For 20+ years, 爱德曼 has tracked levels of trust across 28 countries.??Most recent results show that in Canada, our?employers?– above the news, our governments, our social media feeds, NGO or businesses – are the most believable source of information.

That’s a big responsibility for organizations.??And leaders within them.??Not to mention the more a leader is trusted, the more effective their overall performance is considered to be by direct reports and peers.?

Having been fortunate to work in every sector, I’ve seen leadership up close from many angles.??While there are differences across the public, private and NGO worlds, what goes into building trust in leaders is universal.??

Here are some key traits of leaders who shoot to the top of the “most trusted” list:?

Show me the Money:?Jerry Maguire was right.??Show me?a reason to trust: a track-record; consistency around results and behaviours.??While we may be enamoured by a leader’s charisma or vision, we offer our?trust?when there’s a trail of breadcrumbs leading to it. This is a universal truth, which shows up in sports, too.??Skill most likely to determine a quarterback’s success???Not speed or strength.??It’s consistency.??Trusted leaders Get. Stuff (PG-version.) Done.

Levity and Layers:?I’d trust a robot to vacuum my floor (no I wouldn’t…the Roomba freaks me out) but will never identify with it. The leaders we give our trust to give us something in return: glimpses of vulnerability, a sense of humour, and real-life, relatable shared experiences. One-third of our life is spent at work.??Trust (and followership) grows with people who have, show us, and are interested in layers beyond the bottom line.?

Angel Investing in Talent:?Results speak for themselves.??But reputation is spoken by others.??Motivation is a key driver in how we allot trust on a personal level.??Is a leader’s rise poured solely into them? Or does a leader invest his/her dividends into others too???Highly-trusted leaders have a constellation of star talent they’ve helped bolster and boost. They use their capital to sponsor, mentor, coach and develop others. Word gets out. And trust follows.

Push the Envelope…With Something In It:?A generation ago, leaders could stay on the sidelines of social, equity or environmental issues with little recourse.??Not today.??Many of the leaders we trust most use their voice and vantage point to champion important advances within and outside their organizations.??Why???Because values aren’t just font on the wall.??We all know the difference between lip service and elbow grease.??And we’re more trusting of leaders who live their values and lead with integrity.

None of us can fall into trust.??But when we have the good fortune of falling into the orbit of great leadership, lean back and lean in.