Leaders: Here’s How to Build Trust with Your People
Countless research over the past decades has shown us that trust in leadership is the single most important factor in healthy, thriving, workplace cultures. When we see organizations where turnover is low and employee engagement is high, we know we are looking at an organization where trust in leadership is not a theory but a reality.
How can you develop trust in your leadership? Here are some tips:
Listen more than you talk. Yes, become known for being a phenomenal listener. People will flock to be with you because they will feel like you value them.
Learn to reflect back to people what they have said to you. You can’t do this if you haven’t been listening well. When someone shares something with you that is important to them, ask them if you heard them correctly by reflecting back what they just said to you.
Make your people feel seen and heard by you. Go back to steps 1 and 2 for this to happen.
Show empathy to people around you. Care about what they are going through at work and away from work.
Communicate with absolute clarity. Rinse and repeat. Don’t leave room for employees to make up folklore about what is going to happen in the future at your company. If you don’t communicate goals and objectives, and what is coming down the pike, unofficial leaders without titles will point the way for your people based upon what they want and hope for. Be relentlessly clear about where you are headed. Share what you know when you can.
Have integrity and be consistent.
Don’t think you need to have all the answers. Great leaders surround themselves with people who know more than they do about various topics. They realize that mining the capabilities of their people, and shining the light on those who make contributions, is a critical way to build trust.
New leaders: be patient and know that building trust takes time. People trust others whose words line up with their actions, over and over again.
Dealing with a trust in leadership deficit at your company? Reach out to us at laura@conoverconsulting.com and we can help delete the deficit.