Trust isn't just something that is nice in a marriage or your close relationships. The best leaders know that it is absolutely mandatory for any relationship to grow and prosper. The biggest issue in most organizations is not maintaining trust, however, the dilemma lies in building solid trust and integrity amongst teams within the organization. Keep reading to discover the top three ways that leading organizations build trust in their network.
If the foundation of a healthy relationship is trust and the foundation of healthy organizations is a trust worthy team— then it should come as no surprise that leaders should be devoting large amounts of energy to developing trust with their employees if they want their organizations to survive and continue to solve complex problems.
You can hire the best talent or pull from the top of the best universities, but no matter how smart your employees are, being trustworthy and having mutual respect for one another is the key to a prosperous business.
So, we all understand how important trust is right?
Good!
Now let's dive into the top three ways that most organizations are practicing building trust.
1. Radical Honesty and Authenticity
To begin, let's cover an important factor in this realm: you should always be conscious of your feelings while in the workplace. Telling someone they are aggravating or stupid can cause outright turmoil amongst the team. There is a better way.
For example, don't issue anonymous surveys. Removing anonymity improves tactfulness and fosters open communication. At the end of the day, your employees and team members should feel safe enough to give you their honest opinion. And, you should be de-centered enough to accept any accolades or criticisms with an open mind.
How great would it be to show up to the office and simply give open and honest feedback when our team members asked for it? And how about knowing that it is okay to give it, even when not asked? That seems like real trust right there, no?
Well it isn't impossible. That's how most great organizations operate on a daily basis.
2. Practice "Deep" Trust
What's the difference between deep trust and shallow trust?
Shallow trust is feeling as though your co-worker would be willing to help you change your flat tire in the parking lot if you asked them on a Friday afternoon.
That's not trust. That is common decency and if you feel like someone needs a heart of gold to do that in your organization, you should probably look elsewhere for employment.
Deep trust is knowing that you can be completely open and vulnerable with your boss or direct report and know that they are listening and empathetic because they not only want what's best for the company, but they want what's best for you—the employee and team mate.
That's deeper than holding the door open for someone or putting the toilet seat back down.
3. Infuse Trust Into Your Weekly Organizational Meetings
A huge flaw in companies is that they do things right on the surface:
- They remember everyone's birthday.
- They hold team meetings and dispense the notes following the meeting.
- They use proper email etiquette and have comforting "open door policies".
But, where most miss the boat is that they host their meetings, ask for input and questions, then subconsciously shut down any and all feedback from those not directly in an executive position.
The healthiest organizations actively practice trust in their company-wide meetings. No matter who speaks up during the meeting with an idea or suggestion, it is taken into account and then hashed out just the same as if the CEO suggested it.
This ensures that only the best ideas make it to the production floor and not just biased opinions handed down the chain. If employees don't feel as though they can give feedback up the chain as well, then your organization doesn't have trust. It's that simple.
So, how does your organization fit into this model? Would you say that it has trust? What would the employees say without an anonymous survey?
Here at Keystone, trust is an operating principle. Beginning with trusting our team to perform 110% everyday, to trusting that everyone—stamped with a Keystone Logo—is willing to push themselves to achieve the mission at hand. From the manufacturing shop to Customer Invoicing; everyone is on the same team pushing towards the same goals, customer trust and satisfaction.
We sincerely strive to build trust into every level of our services. By extending optimal service to our customers, we hope to gain their trust. And, we check in with them by actively sending surveys that openly ask current and past clients what we can do better to improve their experience and our processes, in order to make sure that we continue to earn their trust.
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