Can you guess what your team wants more than anything? The answer may surprise you. You wouldn’t be wrong for guessing recognition, empowerment, more pay, the opportunity for advancement, better benefits, etc… The list is endless, but none of those things are most important. So what is this mysterious desire of the masses? Trust.
More than anything, teams want to trust their leader.
According to a survey run by ToleroSolutions, Scott Span found that 45% of respondents believed that a lack of trust in leadership impacts their work performance.
So I started thinking about what I can do as a leader to convey trustworthiness.
Before we get too far along today, I want to remind you first of all that you are valuable. I’ve thought a lot about you as I prepared for today’s episode. We have all done things that destroyed trust. Today is the best day to start rebuilding it.
Acknowledge that building trust is a long game, no short cuts. Some time is required; however, your reputation can help or hurt you. Remember this though: trust is the foundation on which we build respect and honor. You will not build a successful team if you don’t start by establishing trust.
Ten Ways To Build Or Destroy Trust
| Building Trust | Destroying Trust |
| 1) Creating safety for mistakes & ideas | 1) Alienating through shaming |
| 2) Maintaining confidentiality | 2) Gossiping |
| 3) Fighting for your team | 3) Coalescing when challenged |
| 4) Doing what you say | 4) Unexplainably reversing course |
| 5) Being honest and factual | 5) Making promises you can’t keep |
| 6) Being dependable & consistent | 6) Being unpredictable |
| 7) Communicative | 7) Unapproachable |
| 8) Being transparent about failure | 8) Never admitting error |
| 9) Acknowledging effort | 9) Focusing on deficiency |
| 10) Being inclusive | 10) Making decisions in a vacuum |
Thanks for Listening!
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Now, go lead like someone you would want to follow!
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