Trust Must Be Earned

Instilling trust in others and trusting people seems very simple. However, it is not easy to teach and it seems that many organizations struggle with how to teach trust. Trust is an acquired skill.

Lack of trust in leadership is one of the most common reasons for those to leave an organization. Furthermore, there is a stigma attached to attempting to develop a trusting relationship with those in the organization, which results in many people staying in the organization they joined or if not yet a part of it, just not trusting anyone to whom they have a decision to rely on in a crisis.

Most leaders live in a world of trust. As an organizational healthist, I am constantly on the lookout for initiatives that invite trust into the workplace, or are in alignment with our fundamental values.The trustworthiness process is arguably one of the most powerful tools in our collective toolbox. Throughout our unique process, the combination of tangible actions and significant statements of intent are key components of creating trust. Every business wants to be seen as trustworthy. As leaders, we need to create a culture where trust is a major factor.

To help address these issues, some organizations go above and beyond when trying to improve their trustworthiness and authenticity. In particular, we'll be talking about a few values that organizations can use to cultivate trust and leadership. Implementing authentic leadership practices are vital for long term success and, ultimately, preventing organizational burnout. Over time, leaders without authentic ways of doing their jobs will struggle to regain trust and be seen as genuinely trustworthy.

Opinions can change but I'm in favor of prioritizing trust. The truth is no matter how many times an organization builds trust with its leaders it may never be returned, it's our own moral fault for putting people into positions of power that they don't believe they can trust. Leaders need to have some insight to know what's going on in their organization, and what's going on with people that aren't putting themselves in a position to protect those around them. Trust cannot be built by running the organization.

Trust within organizations also depends on the interaction between the different levels. The hierarchy can and should reflect the types of relationships that each manager has in his/her organization. In order for a leader to develop trust, he or she must learn about the expectations, roles, and responsibilities of others. A person or organization that has a low trust hierarchy in an organization may also lack an effective culture in order to attract high level managers and delegates, and will be less likely to win over stakeholders.

The problem is not just that trust is a tricky issue in countries where people don't trust you or mistrust you, it's that trust can be a deep and lasting issue in countries where people only have their own eyes and ears. In times of crisis, once trust has been lost, there's nowhere to go, there's nothing to be done. In such situations, it's often much more difficult for leaders to build a platform of trust that goes far beyond just themselves, where they can go out and build from.