Trust is the key to any organization, brand, leader, product and relationship. The good news is that trust is not a scarce resource and because it has a plentiful supply we can all have more than we need. However, it is important to realise that trust is also one of the easiest things to lose, and can often be impossible to regain. However, there are 8 steps that you can follow in order to gain and secure trust for your company.
The first step that can help develop trust, is ensuring you stick to your promises. Few realize that corporate profit and loss statements consist of promises not money. There is no cash or “real money” on the P&L; instead the meat is accounts receivable and accounts payable which are merely promises to pay for goods and services already rendered or received. One way to successfully keep promises is to implement a mission that has formal internal and external processes for making, tracking, and fulfilling promises.
The second step in building trust is to develop the skill of making promises. Sometimes we wrongly assume that if we don’t make promises we will never have to worry about breaking them. The result of this is that we hide behind “I’ll try” rather than “I’ll do” in an attempt to side step accountability through ambiguity. However, this makes people believe that you don’t trust yourself in being able to fulfil the task. So make solid commitments and fulfil the promise.
Another tip that will help you develop trust is to under commit and over deliver. If you over promise and end up not being able to carry out the task in hand, it could have damaging effects for your company. Often we end up overcommitting because we want people to like us but this can have the reverse effect if you cannot complete your objectives. Negotiating up front is far more effective in creating and maintaining trust than the inevitable excuses that arise when a promise is not fulfilled.
The fourth idea is to trust is proactive communication. Of course, it is near impossible to keep every promise we make, but no matter how compelling our excuses may be for failing to deliver on time and on budget there is no excuse for not giving others a heads up. Your failings will be much more warmly received if you keep everyone in the loop. If the news is good people can relax, and if the news is bad there is plenty of time to go to plan B.
Number five is don’t cut corners. Instead of doing lots of things to a good standard, but you should always try and do lots of critical things to an excellent standard. If you cut corners and think nobody will notice, you will probably end up getting caught out and insulting the person who you assumed wouldn’t notice.
Never hide mistakes is the sixth step to authentic leadership. Inevitably when one mistake is found, most observers will assume it is one of many. Autonomy or being our own boss is what turns work into fun, and hiding mistakes can jeopardise your autonomous decision, as well as setting a bad example to your workforce, if you are caught out. Also beware of excuses; a simple apology is far more effective in maintaining trust than a box car full of trumped up excuses and finger pointing.
The seventh trust building secret is purifying motivations. Putting your agenda first can seem like a sensible place to start, but this is not ideal when you are trying to build trust. Others can see when the work you are doing for them is not a priority and this can impact on alter decisions. Conversely, team players who put the interests of others ahead of their own can gain large amounts of trust, and as a result, power.
Finally, never make people ask. When you repay a debt or fulfil an obligation without being reminded you get ten times the trust building credit that you would otherwise. It is a dreaded task of any employee to have to hound a company in order to get them to fulfil their promise. For example, when your friends must remind you to pick up the check once in a while you end up picking up more than your share of the checks while getting little or no credit for the gesture.
If you would like to discuss your leadership technique, or would like help and advice on implementing these and many other ideas that will strengthen you leadership abilities, The Results Centre is happy to help you.