Trust – a key aspect of establishing relationships with others, allows us to open up and create a safe foundation from which we can explore new ideas, strategies and opportunities.
With trust, a team becomes stronger, more effective, and capable of achieving truly meaningful goals, and establishing trust among colleagues is a valuable currency in the workplace.
Trust is an essential key to having an effective team, where everyone feels safe with their leader and with each other, feels comfortable to show vulnerabilities, open up, and take appropriate risks—including engaging in constructive conflict—because trust provides a sense of safety.
Trust is also essential for knowledge acquisition and sharing, as shown in a study published in the Journal of Knowledge Management. Basically, when a team’s members trust one another, they’re far more likely to communicate openly and share their knowledge.
Stephen M.R. Covey, the author of The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything, demonstrates how paramount trust is for a successful team and organization.
So what does it take for a leader to build the trust that his or her team needs in order to blossom?
Covey says, “Trust is equal parts character and competence… You can look at any leadership failure, and it’s always a failure of one or the other.”
In essence, trust is a reflection of credibility. The more credible a person is, the more people will be willing to trust him or her, and – the faster the trust will be established.
Credibility comes down to two basic questions: can I trust myself, and am I someone whom others can trust? According to Covey, there are four “Cores” or keys to building credibility: Integrity, Intent, Capabilities, and Results.
Integrity and Intent are character cores, Capabilities and Results are competency cores, and all four are necessary for credibility.
Integrity
A good leader’s actions match his or her values and beliefs. Being congruent, authentic, humble, and committed are some key characteristics of a person with integrity.
Building trust within your team requires proving that you are trustworthy, and showing that you trust others, such as your team, colleagues, and superiors. If you’re a leader, know that your team members are taking cues from you, so leading by example is vital.
Intentions
Trust is cultivated when your motives, agenda, and behavior are forthright and for the benefit of all parties involved – your team is aware when you genuinely care. Tools that help demonstrate our intentions include honest and open communication and transparency.
Capability
As a leader, you need to show you are competent and capable of completing the tasks you are entrusted with.
Leaders who generate trust hold themselves accountable, and they hold others accountable.
Self-confidence and your behaviors, attitudes, skills and style, which need to include staying relevant and open to learning and growing, play an important role in inspiring trust and credibility.
Results
Trust is one of the most powerful forms of motivation and inspiration, and being a good leader means getting results in a way that inspires trust. Your track record impacts your credibility, yet it’s the performance and doing the right things, and doing them right—with consistency, that create a higher level of trust and better results.
Trust is an indispensable element in team productivity, and plays a crucial role not only in our professional effectiveness but also in overall wellbeing. In my work of business coaching and supporting individuals to increase their capacity as values-centered leaders, I see daily how trust builds respect and loyalty, as well as a supportive, thriving, and safe work environment.
As Stephen M.R. Covey astutely states, “The ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust with all stakeholders—customers, business partners, investors, and coworkers—is the key leadership competency of the new global economy.”
As a leader, you can develop the competence to extend trust in ways that avoid the drawbacks and ensure the greatest dividends for all parties involved, as well as learn how to restore trust when it has been lost.
If you are interested in exploring ways to inspire trust and create a culture of trust within your team, and are looking for a business coach to support you with leadership and personal growth, please contact me today.