It has been well established that any organisation that has high levels of trust amongst its workforce produces more effective results and is far more productive with a high level of employee satisfaction, lower attrition etc. The Company Leaders at all levels however must understand that while it appears simplistic, it needs a concerted effort on their part and they would be well served if they keep the basic essentials in mind, always.
- It is mutual and works both ways. It’s not only important for an employee to trust that the team leader would keep her interest (promotion, increment, recognition, leave etc.) in mind when time came, but also important for the leader to trust her that she would step up and take on additional work / responsibility in crunch situations and deliver.
- Initiated from top. As with other important things it is true that the initiatives and the whole process and activities for developing trust are made by the leader leading by personal example. At the same time it is important to understand that it is a simultaneous process and there is no such thing that first my Boss should trust me then only I would trust her.
- Takes time to develop. It is through a combination of innumerable sometimes small or maybe even big tasks, deeds, actions through different communication channels back and forth between the team members and leaders on an on going daily basis over a sustained period of time that fosters trust in the team / company culture. It means to be able to do the correct work and communicate well consistently. This does not mean there would be no conflict but that they would be resolved correctly and timely. Whatever be your role in the team / organisation, one should be aware of this and be prepared for this.
- Takes no time to dissipate. It is one single faulty action, lack of communication (even inadequate or inappropriate communication) or an inappropriately handled situation / conflict that can shatter the trust between people as well as within team members. Again it is mutual and could be loss of trust by a team member in leadership or vice versa and either way the consequences could be very serious.
- Regaining trust is tricky. In certain situations where the issue is not so serious or there’s a communication issue things can be sorted out with due correction and an apology. However where there is a breach of integrity like an act done with deliberate deception, regaining trust in a leader, an employee or the organisation as such wouldn’t really be possible.
- Communication is key. Like with practically everything, on
e’s ability to express personal intent, perception, opinions, advise, feedback, reaction, problems, professional conversations over different form of communications whether verbal, written along with body language and overall attitudes play an important and sometimes subtle role in developing trust.A culture of trust within any organisation, big or small can be an immense force multiplier which can create highly effective powerful results. And since the lack of such a culture / loss of it can have such negative impact on work outputs and create toxicity, these basic essentials need to be understood and internalised by all employees, particularly the leadership. Higher the leadership level more important it is to understand these essentials and their nuances.