How to build trust
Trust matters. It really matters.
Just think about how great it feels when you really trust someone, to know that they would always behave thoughtfully, respectfully and honestly! It feels pretty good, doesn’t it? And it makes you want to work with them.
And on the flip side, if you don’t trust someone, you won’t give them your all, will you?
Yes, if you don’t fully have people’s trust, your impact will be limited.
As a leader you must inspire trust. In fact, there is no effective or respectful leadership without it.
And you can of course not demand trust, you can only earn it. Trust happens over time, through consistency and integrity in behaviour and delivery. And there’s no time like the present to start or continue building it
You can’t demand trust, you can only earn it
Here are four ways to build or further increase trust:
- Be genuinely interested in people. Take the time to talk with others and get to know them. Would you fully trust someone you didn’t know?
- Be generous. Share what you know, be generous with your knowledge, experience and wisdom. Give feedback. Give credit where credit is due.
- Be consistent. Be emotionally aware; manage your emotions and the impact they have on others. Be consistent, don’t be friendly one day and aggressive the next – don’t make people fearful by emotional/behavioural swings.
- Keep your promises. It may sound simple but it’s so very effective. Do what you said you were going to do, Or apologize and explain why and what will happen next if you couldn’t keep the promise.
We’re all in the ’trust business’
Trust is the foundation for all great leadership and teamwork. And in a world that changes faster and faster, trust will only get more and more important – so that people dare open up and collaborate for new and better solutions.
And we’re all in the trust business – every day, in everything we do.
About the authors
Mandy Flint & Elisabet Vinberg Hearn, award-winning authors of ”The Team Formula”.
Their latest book, multi-award-winning ”Leading Teams – 10 Challenges: 10 Solutions”, published by Financial Times International is a practical tool for building winning teams. You can download a free chapter of the book at www.leadingteamsbook.com
Praise for ”Leading Teams: ”Enjoyable to read. Simple to understand. Practical to implement. A must read for team members or leaders”Debbie Fogel-Monnissen, Executive Vice President, International Markets Finance Officer, Mastercard, NY, USA
