Diving into Trust as a Leadership Truth
Authored by WIlliam L. Patenaude, half full, llc Flex Facilitator
“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” – Ernest Hemingway
A long-time employee of an organization I was working with told me about a visit from his manager the day before. The visit was to check on the status of a work item, which was simple enough. But when the conversation concluded and the manager prepared to leave, he noticed a note on the employee’s to-do list. It was a reminder to return a client’s phone call.
“Don’t forget to call him back,” the manager said, pointing to the note before he walked off.
The employee relayed the story with frustration and a little anger. “I don’t need [my boss] to tell me to return phone calls,” he said. But his expression said something deeper: “I guess he doesn’t trust me.”
A few weeks ago, I introduced the first post in my blogging series in which I’ll be diving deep into five truths that leaders should consider and, however possible, implement to create an inspiring workplace. You can dive into Part 1 by clicking here. One of those prevailing truths is trust and stories like the above are not uncommon and, in fact, underscore the importance of trust as a fundamental to establishing healthy workplace community.
We don’t need to look that much further to see how important it is to cultivate trust, particularly given what ongoing Gallup research finds: “Only 21% of U.S. employees strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organization. This marks a noteworthy decline from its 2019 peak (24%) and raises a serious question about morale in American businesses.”
Low-levels of trust are likely the cause of other sobering statistics: Gallup’s wellbeing research finds that only 34% of workers describe themselves as “thriving” while 58% of workers say that they’re “struggling.”
Both numbers are, sadly, moving in the wrong direction.
The result? Also according to Gallup, we learn that only 31% of U.S. employees feel engaged in (that is, enthused about) their jobs, and just over half are watching for or actively seeking somewhere else to work.
Let’s look at all this from a positive perspective.
Several years ago, an article in Harvard Business Review summarized studies of the neuroscience of trust in the workplace. In part, it found this good news:
Compared with people at low-trust companies, people at high-trust companies report… 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, 29% more satisfaction with their lives, [and] 40% less burnout.
All this gets us to two questions:
1. Why is employee trust so low?
2. What can managers do to foster a high-trust organization?
Let’s dive in further….
Manage Things; Lead People
Managers are most effective when they see their staff (as well as their colleagues and their own managers) as fellow human beings — and thus deserving of human dignity — rather than through the lens of process, which can lead to micromanaging. In embracing the humanity of their people, managers grow into leaders. In time, their staff will feel valued, engaged, and excited about coming to work.
Related Reading: Prioritizing Human Connection in Today’s Workplace
For managers and formal leaders who find themselves asking if they’re creating such a high-trust environment, the following, more specific questions may help:
1. Have I set clear and reasonable expectations? (Ideally, during onboarding but also in the course of regular business.)
2. Have I trained my staff with the skills to meet these expectations, and do I (and the wider organization) provide the necessary tools and supplies?
3. Do I communicate regularly about how things are going—good and no-so-good?
4. Am I transparent? That is, am I withholding information that may result in staff guessing about organizational health and goals, no matter how mundane? (Case in point: You and fellow managers have been asked to attend a meeting about some minor policy or workplace issue. Staff will see the meeting taking place. Sure, sometimes you’re not at liberty to share confidential information. But to the extent that you can — and that’s probably more often than not — are you sharing what’s happening? If not, people in this example will be left to wonder about why several managers are meeting with clients or upper management. And wondering can lead to guessing. And in today’s volatile world, guessing can easily lead us to assuming the worst.)
5. Am I truly grateful? That is, do I regularly and authentically express specific feedback on jobs well done — especially when someone has gone above and beyond?
6. Do I see my staff as fellow humans journeying together with a shared mission, having hopes, dreams, and individual strengths and struggles?
7. And if so, can I help with their struggles or assist them in achieving their dreams?
The more humanity we as managers and formal leaders bring to the workplace, the more trust we exude.
In my subsequent posts in this series, we will look more deeply at several of the questions above. But for now, simply remember that the bottom line is summed up with this word: authenticity.
The more honest we are with ourselves and with our staff — the more authentic we are — the more your people will feel trusted.
This isn’t always easy. And it often requires our own growth and the support of others. But you’ll be delighted with just how much your team gets done, how valued they feel, and how engaged they become when you place trust at the top of your list of things to do.