Trust as a Leadership Attribute
"If people like you, they'll listen to you, but if they trust you, they'll do business with you." — Zig Ziglar
INTRODUCTION
Is it not easier to do business with someone you trust? Do you have a favorite mechanic to whom you return to when your ‘check engine’ light illuminates? Do you have a particular contractor who you’re quick to call when planning home improvements? If you didn’t trust your mechanic or contractor, you would take your business elsewhere. In the military, all team members are mutually interdependent. Each person has their respective duty, and each person is fully entrusted to execute on their respective duty. Trusting your teammates and having faith in your leader can be the difference between life and death.
YOUR ORGANIZATION
Let’s consider your organization. How important is the trust that you place on your coworkers, subordinates and managers on the effectiveness of your organization? As a leader, do you trust your people? Or do you focus more on being trusted? Effective leaders understand and appreciate the importance of cultivating trust amongst their teams on both an individual and organizational level. Trust is a two-way street.
"Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships." — Stephen Covey
People at high-trust companies report 50% higher productivity, 76% more engagement, and 40% less burnout than people at low-trust companies according to a study in Harvard Business Review.
STRONG LEADERSHIP
The best managers provide clear direction as to what needs to be accomplished (team objectives) using quantified metrics (targets). Then, leaders trust their teams to determine how best to accomplish the task at hand. The most successful leaders empower their people to operate with creative agency, taking calculated risks in pursuit of their organizational objectives. This dynamic fosters a sense of pride and personal ownership across the team. As a result, people remain engaged and emboldened amidst challenging times. Strong leaders cultivate a culture of individual empowerment and autonomy, enabling each team member to leverage his/her personal talent and skill for the greater good of the team. Not surprisingly, such environments typically attract and retain individuals with a natural propensity toward leadership, creativity, and innovation. As a result, organizations with cultures of empowerment and autonomy are better equipped to navigate tumultuous shifts in industry.
WEAK LEADERSHIP
Non-trusting leaders lean heavily on command and control. These leaders stifle autonomy among their teams, dictating how each person should be working, prescribing precisely how each person should execute their respective task. This style of micro-managing leadership hinders the collective creativity and intellect of the team, and repels individuals with natural leadership capabilities. This ultimately compromises the integrity of the team. Operating with unbridled command and control is not a strategy for success, especially in competitive markets where companies must attract and retain the best talent in order to stay agile and ahead of the pack.
CONCLUSION
Most managers fall somewhere between the two scenarios described above. How do you move your organization to one built on mutual trust?
Do you focus as much on trusting your subordinates or co-workers as trying to get them to trust you?
How do you earn peoples' trust?
As a manager, do you provide clear purpose and ensure that it is understood for your organization?
Do you provide your team the tools and training to meet their goals without direction?
Do you have the organizational, business and other necessary knowledge for your area that inspires trust from people?
Does your team actively share knowledge with each other?
Do you have the trust from your managers to make decisions?
Would your managers, subordinates and coworkers answer the above questions in the same way as you? If not, what can you do to change this?