Leaders MUST build trust with their people!
That’s the advice of top business leaders and consultants who have observed the serious loss of trust in many organizations today. In the July 2010 issue of Ignite! Newsletter from the folks at The Ken Blanchard Companies, Dr. Pat Zigarmi and Randy Conley explain what happens when workers lose faith in their organization:
“lack of trust creates cynicism, doubt, and anxiety that leads to…low energy and productivity. …the result is that employees will stay with the organization and do their job because they need a paycheck, but not much more.”
If you have been in any of my management training seminars you may have heard me put it this way:
WE DON’T FOLLOW PEOPLE WE DON’T TRUST
Very simply, if you want to lead your team with influence and inspiration, you must build trust with your people and help them build trust with one another. Additionally, you must build trust with key colleagues as well—the ones with whom you must build “internal business alliances.”
How do you do you do that? Trust is simple, but building it is not easy—it takes time! But if you are serious about earning the trust of others, you must invest in what I call The Four C’s.
Build Trust With The Four C’s
COMPETENCE. Your team is counting on you to do your job as a leader and do it well. It’s all about helping them succeed and get tangible results. So make sure you…
- Guide them with a clear vision
- Equip them with the resources and skills they need to be effective in their work
- Run interference for them with other departments and higher-ups and
- Inspire them with your example.
Your credibility as a leader begins with competence in your role as a supervisor, manager, or executive. Your credibility as a colleague begins with competence in your job!
CHARACTER. This is about acting with integrity and honesty so that when you speak, your people believe you. It means treating your team members fairly and appropriately, holding them accountable for clear standards of attendance, behavior, and performance. It means behaving in a way that reflects clear and consistent values. It also requires open and honest communication—sharing accurate information with team members and colleagues that helps them to solve problems, resolve conflict, and build collaborative working relationships.
CARING. It has been said many times that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Studies of effective leaders support this simple truth! Survey after survey has shown that truly effective leaders not only show a strong personal commitment to the work—they show an equally strong personal commitment to the WORKERS. The best leaders I know do this by getting to know their team members personally and individually—identifying their gifts, strengths, passions, motivations, values, interests, and priorities. They also show their support by giving team members their time, their personal attention, a listening ear, and at times, a strong shoulder of encouragement and compassion.
CONSISTENCY. I learned this from Mary Kay Ash, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in American business. She exhorted her managers and executives to “earn the reputation of being someone who does what they say will do.” In my management seminars I condense this to a set of palindromic initials: DWYSYWD (Do What You Say You Will Do). The Ignite! Newsletter defines consistency this way: “It means [leaders] being accountable for their actions and being responsive to the needs of others so if leaders promise something they must follow through. It also requires being organized and predictable so that people can see that the leaders have things in order and are able to follow through on their promises.”
Does this really matter? YES—team leaders have enormous influence over their team members… more than they realize!
Tuckman showed us early on that team productivity rises when trust is built between the leader and the members of a team. And now Kouzes and Posner have demonstrated through their research that when a leader establishes trust and credibility with their team members, there are powerful effects that team members experience…
- a greater COMMITMENT to the organization
- a stronger sense of OWNERSHIP of the organization
- a greater sense of PRIDE in the organization… and
- a higher level of TEAM SPIRIT!
For more specific ways you can build trust with your people, read Chapter 2 of my book, Leading Teams–How to Inspire, Motivate, Lead and Succeed! You can view and download a description of the book HERE.
There are many other practical principles, tools and techniques that can help you become more influential and effective in your work—we specialize in helping leaders create the kind of team culture that promotes employee engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction! Give us a call and find out how easy and affordable it is to bring this kind of high-impact help to YOUR organization and YOUR team!
In the meantime, stay tuned to this BLOG—we have more great ideas headed your way! And let us know what you think of this post–use the comment space provided. WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Until next time… Yours for better leaders and better organizations,
Dr. Jim Dyke – “The Boss Doctor” ™ helping you to BE a better boss and to HAVE a better boss!
