How do you, as a leader, gain the trust of your employees?
The question came up the other day, after a friend of mine conducted an employee survey and found only one-third of respondents strongly agreed with the statement, "I trust my manager." We got to talking about how leaders can rebuild trust in such a situation and came up with the following list.
Always tell the truth. If you can't answer a question, explain why. The smallest lie kills trust.
Keep all your promises. It's better to promise less and deliver more. People remember what you deliver, not what you promise.
Admit your mistakes; admit when you were wrong. We all make mistakes. When we attempt to portray ourselves as perfect, folks see right through us. Don't be afraid to say you're sorry.
Give trust to others. To be trusted, you must first trust others.
Don't micromanage your folks, and do reduce rules as much as you can. The more micromanagement and rules, the lower the level of trust. Rules imply lack of trust. Micromanagement implies the same.
Choose to hire and promote people who have demonstrated integrity. Fire liars.
Act with absolute consistency. Walk your talk.
Show respect for the ideas of others.
Say "no" clearly when you have to. Explain why your answer is negative, but make the "no" plain.
For more on this topic:
- My favorite writer on the topic of trust is Adrian Savage, publisher of Slow Leadership.
- "Rules" is my take on how to promulgate a few good rules without undermining trust.
- "Customer Service and Trust" explores the connection between trust and delighted customers.
- "The Elements of Great Managing: 10 - I have a best friend" at work reviews findings by the Gallup Organization of the importance of interpersonal trust to employee engagement and business success.
- Read more posts like this in my Leading Change category.
[Photo: "Trusting Dragonfly" by Armin Hanisch]
