By Laura Barbisan, co-founder and owner of the leadership design studio
All business owners rely on their teams to make the business run smoothly: to generate revenue, deliver excellent customer experiences, and innovate creative ideas for further development. But it is up to an organization’s leaders to set their team up for success — and trust is an essential part of that success.
Trust is the reason we’re willing to exchange our hard-earned money for goods and services or cast a ballot for someone who will represent our interests. We rely on leaders and team members working within structures, laws, and contracts, but even those are ultimately built on trust in the people that enforce them.
Most people are trustworthy, honest, ethical people who come to work with the intention of making a positive contribution. So naturally they assume they will be trusted. However, the reality is that trust within many teams is low, despite the fact that the team members are predominantly trustworthy.
Trust is a foundation stone of all good relationships. Relationships may lack some features (for example, shared interests, common background or experience could be missing) and still survive, but without trust, no positive relationship is possible.
Trust is not abstract. Rather, it is the result of experiencing certain behaviours from one another. Research has identified these four behaviours that must be experienced for trust to be developed and sustained. The descriptions of the four elements of trust, detailed below, can form the basis of a discussion for leaders to guide their teams through.
The four elements of trust
Acceptance
A non-judgmental attitude. If I am to trust you, I need to experience and receive the message from you that it is okay with you for me to be who I am, that you take me as a whole person; that you have regard for me as a person. If I experience the opposite — judgement, criticism, or put-downs — I will guard against you, because I, like others, do not wish to be judged and trust will not grow between us.
Openness
If I am to trust you, I need to experience gradual self-revelation from you, the giving of information, about work tasks, about yourself, about business. You need to let me in on what’s going on, insofar as it affects me. You need to tell me, share what you know, be up-front with what you are thinking, give and solicit feedback. If I experience the opposite — secretiveness, hidden agendas — then I do not know what you are up to or what’s going on with you and trust will not grow between us.
Congruency
If I am to trust you, I need to experience that you say what you mean and mean what you say. Congruence means that I see that your actions and feelings fit together. You are honest with me. You don’t play games with ulterior motives. You tell the truth, even if it means you are not always 100% “nice.” If I experience the opposite — deceit, lying, vagueness, not saying what you mean — then trust will not grow between us.
Reliability
If I am to trust you, I need to experience that you do what you say you will do. Reliability means that you keep your word, you are dependable, you deliver on time. Not keeping promises, being late, doing what you said you wouldn’t do results in not knowing if I can count on you or believe your word, and then trust will not grow between us.
Most of us are usually strong in two or three of these elements. Because of this, we can often have a tendency to overvalue our strong elements and devalue, even unconsciously, our weak ones.
What is important to note is that being in a relationship where two or three out of the four elements is not enough to create a trusting working relationship. Think of these elements as the four legs of a chair: if one leg is loose or even worse, completely missing, how stable will the chair feel to sit on? But if you think about sitting on a chair where all four legs are level and firmly secured to the seat, you will feel balanced, stable, and secure.
The importance of trust in organizations
Trust has never been so important as it is now, with all of the constant change and challenges we face. When looking at the great resignation that has occurred over the past few years, qualitative research shows that a toxic workplace culture is ten times more likely to lead to resignation than an offer of increased compensation from another organization.1 And how do you make sure your organization doesn’t have a toxic culture? One of the main ways to establish a healthy culture in an organization is by building trust.2
And trust not only offers a benefit from a culture perspective. It is also part of a foundation that can enable us to thrive, both now and in the future. In fact, based on research published by Paul J. Zak, professor of economics and psychology at Claremont Graduate University,3 employees in high-trust organizations have:
- 50% higher productivity
- 106% more energy at work
- 74% less stress
- 13% fewer sick days
- 76% more engagement
- 29% more satisfaction with their lives
- 40% less burnout3
What is clear is that the importance of trust for organizations, and in building stronger relationships in general, has become a critical factor in creating high-performing teams that are engaged, collaborative, and committed. So much so that building trust should be considered a fundamental part of every recruitment and retainment strategy.
Investing in leadership development programs where managers learn to understand and exhibit the behaviours that build trust far outweighs the cost of high employee turnover. Moreover, it creates the platform for employees to feel a stronger connection to their team, their leader, and the organization as a whole.
Interested in learning more about building trust with your team? Reach out at info@ldstudio.org or visit our website www.ldstudio.org.
Laura Barbisan is co-founder and owner of leadership design studio, which offers leadership development workshops and programs as well as executive coaching for individuals and teams. Their mission is to empower leaders to unleash the full potential of their team and deliver exceptional growth for their organization. With c-class experience overseeing operations responsible for 1,500 employees and $1 billion in revenue, Laura has brought her business acumen and coaching experience to charitable, social and inclusive corporate organizations to further sustainable and humanistic growth.
Sources:
1. Sull, D., Sull, C. and Zweig, B. 2022. Toxic Culture is Driving the Great Resignation. MIT Sloan Management Review. Url: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/toxic-culture-is-driving-the-great-resignation/ (accessed Oct. 28, 2022).
2. Nelliparamban, S. 2021. Four Tips For Creating A Healthy Work Culture In 2021. Forbes. Url: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/02/23/four-tips-for-creating-a-healthy-work-culture-in-2021/ (accessed Oct. 28, 2022).
3. Zak, P.J. 2017. The Neuroscience of Trust. Harvard Business Review. Url: https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-neuroscience-of-trust (accessed Oct. 28, 2022).
