Only 49% of All Employees Have a Great Deal of Trust in Their Boss
EY released Global Generations 3.0 research that found less than half of full-time workers surveyed globally between the ages of 19-68, place a “great deal of trust” in their employer, boss, or colleagues.
“Without trust, at best you get compliance.” Jesse Stoner
10 ways successful leaders build trust:
#1. Extend trust first.
The most surprising way to earn trust is to give it. “Trust is given not earned.” Bob Chapman (This one still freaks me out.)
#2. Practice transparency regarding intentions.
Your intentions are so obvious to you that it’s hard to believe others don’t see them.
Give voice to your heart. You are the only one who knows your good intentions.
Try saying:
- I thought it might be useful for you to know why I’m doing this.
- The reason this is important to us is … .
- I’m making this decision because … . (Avoid sounding defensive. Be plain and brief.)
Trust is a built with vulnerability, transparency and candor.
#3. Help others get ahead.
- Provide new opportunities.
- Coach team members through stretch assignments.
- Let direct reports speak for themselves in meetings.
Trust is built with generosity.
#4. Practice collaborative decision-making every chance you get.
Trust is strengthened with openness.
#5. Make tough decisions after seeking input and alternatives.
#6. Choose brief explanations.
The longer you explain, the more you sound untrustworthy. Follow brevity with curiosity.
- What did I leave out?
- What would you like to know?
- What’s important to you?
#7. Always follow-through.
One broken commitment has more negative impact than the benefits of ten promises kept.
The realities of trust-building are unforgiving.
#8. Be the same person in good times and bad.
Consistency let’s people know they can count on you.
#9.Choose kindness.
The first rule of trust is do no harm. The second is do good.
#10. Say thank you.
What has helped you build trust?
Which trust building activity could you try today?
49%. That is it? This is a very low percentage
Thanks Rajiv. I’ve actually seen lower numbers.
Number 1 Spot on. If you can’t trust someone either you see them as incompetent and cannot be trusted to follow through or do the job properly (they should not be empowered in that capacity if they can’t) or as a leader, you don’t trust because you cannot be trusted, thinking everyone thinks like you do. Out of the heart the mouth speaks and also out of the heart the issues of life flow. People have a tendency to pick up on that. Those who don’t trust those who are able to follow through, are those who are incompetent to lead and should not be empowered. They hold back progress and slow down production.
Thanks Ron. Your observation that lack of trust holds back progress should cause all leaders to pause and reflect on their goals and how they might be engaged in self-sabotage.
Read Covey’s, Speed of Trust.
Great subject! Trust is built on truthfulness. It is earned. Truthfulness is spoken, written, lived. It is being without guile. It is being selfless – repeatedly. It is practicing what we preach. It is being vulnerable to inspection and questioning. It is offering to be accountable before we are asked. Trust requires the trustor to rely on the actions of the trustee, and to abandon control over the trustee. This means the trustor is uncertain about the outcome of the trustee’s actions, and risks failure or harm if the trustee does not meet expectations.
Trust is at the core of the family, of a law-abiding society, of the banking system and commerce. Those who break trust to game the system profit may personally in the short term, but hurt others immensely.
Trust can be broken by big things, like unfaithfulness in marriage, but also by small things, like making a promise to get something done, then not doing it. Trust can be broken by being hurtful, condescending, arrogant.
Since trust is much easier to lose than to build, how does one go about restoring broken trust?
1) Ask for forgiveness. Name the issue. It may not seem big to you, but may be huge to the person who was wronged. Don’t expect that forgiveness will come automatically, especially if this is not the first time.
2) Give restitution. This is not a time to haggle. Be generous. What you offer can never erase the harm done.
3) Don’t ever say “Trust me” or cajole in any way to regain the trust.
4) Act as a trustworthy person.
5) If the wronged person begins to trust again, that is good. If not, don’t blame that person. It is you who broke trust.
It is possible to control others without being trustworthy. It is not possible to lead them.
As a leader, trust begins by caring for the good of the organization, or of the people who work in it, and of those who profit from its goods and services. If we don’t love them, we can’t lead them.
Thanks Marc. Wow!
Two things really stuck out to me. “Repeatedly” and “Ask for forgiveness.”
I’m a proponent of “Please forgive me,” over, “I’m sorry.” For me, the humility factor is the difference. If you want to grow humility, which I find illusive, ask forgiveness.
Asking forgiveness is taking responsibility. Trust goes up when we take responsibility.
Good to see the supporting numbers behind the facts that most already know to be true. For leaders to generate trust from others it is first necessary to demonstrate that we, the leaders, are trustworthy. Leadership trust is not an entitlement; trust must be earned.
Thanks Russell. If you want to build trust be trustworthy. 🙂
Dan -Trust is a critical part of Leadership in business, not for profits and even government.
A couple things I found helpful:
1. If someone shares a confidence with you do not act on it right away. This avoids it getting linked to one person or conversation.
2. In my book I tell the story of how I tried to act the same in Business as in my Personal dealings with people. Being consistent builds confidence and trust in others.
Brad
Brad James, author The Business Zoo
Thanks Brad. Your suggestion is subtle and important. It’s probably important to give a confidence some time to digest, anyway.
Thanks Dan. Confirmation for me. I just had two conversations yesterday where I ultimately used all of those. I had to communicate yearly priorities which will direct some focused efforts around 2 major dept. objectives. One of the conversations was probably a surprise to that employee because it lead into a area of focus, one our department had not traditionally been a part of. The good thing is it resulted in #3 above. The second conversation also provided some #3, but was more logical in terms of what we as a department are traditionally involved in.
Bottom line is in those discussions, all of the above was present and they were much smoother than I had anticipated.
I am not sure all our staff TRUST me in all 10 above, (follow-thru can be my anchor) but I think they trust me overall. It goes a L-O-N-G way.
Thanks.
Thanks Will. First, thanks for your candor. I respect your self-reflection on follow-through.
One of the best ways to let people know you are looking out for their best interests is to help them get ahead. Thanks for a great illustration.
Lead by example. Example is not the main thing in influencing others and earning their trust, it is the only thing. Character is much easier kept than recovered. When one has integrity, nothing else matters. When one doesn’t have integrity…nothing else matters.
49% or less is believable…after 50 years of experience. All know they way, but few actually walk it.
Excellent, Dan. And a request from me for some help on this.
My newest team building game, Buccaneer, will have a STRONG component of Trust built-in to the design. That mechanically is mostly around trusting other people that the information about alternative choices is itself trustworthy, that the information that generates some risky behavior is manageable and safe.
There will be interactions at the tabletops, interactions between the tabletops who will have access to different information sources (and techniques to share that information like using a QR Code), and information from the Expedition Leadership that is absolutely trustworthy (but can be questioned).
I see nothing out there other than “Trust Walks” and “Trust Falls” and have nothing to model or build upon conceptually. Marc’s ideas are great, but these things are not about “conversations” but more about business intelligence. Does anyone have any thoughts about behavioral things that can be intertwined into a game design?
We have some very solid things for the debriefing (it is a half-day simulation) but no real “Silver Bullet Insights” to take it over the top, We will tell teams that “other information may be available, teams find it helpful, and it can generally be trusted,” but any other ideas?
.
Dr. Simmerman, I’m not sure if this will give you any new ideas, but a Google search with the three words “teaching trust activities” (but not in parentheses) generated a lot of responses.
I’m not sure one can teach people who don’t know each other deeply to trust each other in a short period of time, unless there is a crisis or lack of knowledge on the part of the trustor that makes trust less frightening than the alternative (such as trusting a doctor, pilot, or lifeguard).
The problem with falling exercises or directing blindfolded people is that they have very little to do with learning life skills.
Probably the best we can hope for is to teach what trust is, the benefits of trust, the consequences of not trusting, of trusting the wrong person, or of not being trustworthy, and the process for building or rebuilding trust.
As an aside, I fear sociopaths, those people who build trust in order to manipulate others into behaving in certain ways. Many child molesters, abusive spouses, and manipulative bosses fall into these categories. I remember trying to teach my trusting children to be wary of adults who might want to harm them. It caused my daughter to burst into tears – not fun for a then 6 year old. Trust is so necessary, so vital, that losing it causes visceral reactions. Being able to trust deeply and unconditionally is wonderful.
Important topic!
There is a great book: the speed of trust, that has some great data on the bottom line impact for organizations with high trust.