Hello again, friends. This is David Boyle, your Client Success Manager for ESI and Airtime. I’m here with another Coach’s Corner.
A topic amongst the membership these days is the idea of company culture. As I said in a previous video, culture is a buzz word that’s often hard to describe. Usually it is easier to feel a company that has a strong culture. It’s harmonious.
One thing I can say with 100 percent certainty is, all strong company cultures are built on a foundation of strong leadership. And, the basis of all leadership is trust. Your employees must trust their managers—and they must especially trust you, the owner. Trust is a bit of an issue these days in business environments…
A recent study showed that only 49 percent of employees trusted their managers, and only 28 percent felt their CEO provided credible information. Those are pretty haunting numbers.
The cost of low trust may seem difficult to measure, but I believe it can be measured. For example, a lack of trust can be shown in the lack of respect your employees may have for you and your company. They can also demonstrate it by stealing from you. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the average company loses 6 percent of its revenue due to fraudulent activity. To me, that’s a staggering number.
So, how do the best leaders build trust?
Well, they recognize it’s their first job as the leader of their business or team. They make building trust a priority and an actual objective. Trust is born from two dimensions:
- Character
- Competence
Character includes your integrity, motives, and intent with people. Your employees are quick to notice and remember how you treat them and especially their coworkers. You often don’t have an opportunity to make up for any mistakes you may make in demonstrating your character.
Competence involves your ability to lead. Your employees want to feel confident in your ability in “guiding the ship.” They want to know that the company is successful and thriving because it means they’ll have a job!
Here are 11 behaviors you can work on exhibiting to show your character and competence and instill trust in your team.
- Talk Straight. Be straightforward with your employees. Don’t beat around the bush. Make sure they understand you clearly; then do what you say you’ll do.
- Demonstrate Respect. You should always respect your people—no matter how angry or upset they make you. Even if they disrespect you—never lower yourself.
- Create Transparency. Be an open book to your team. Show them the numbers. Let them see what your goals and aspirations are for the business. Better yet, let them help you build those goals.
- Right Wrongs. You’re not perfect. You’re going to make mistakes. Realize it and fix it.
- Deliver Results. As I mentioned earlier, you better deliver results if you want people to trust you and respect you as a leader.
- Get Better. Your team should always see that you’re working to improve the company in some form or fashion. It can be little things. But if they see you’re working to improve; they’ll work to improve.
- Confront Reality. There’s nothing worse than a leader who buries his head in the sand and avoids conflict and problems. If you see a challenge, address it.
- Practice Accountability. Everyone on your team should have goals, which should be discussed during yearly reviews. And everyone should be held to those goals. You should share your goals with your team, and how well you did in achieving them.
- Listen First. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. The strongest leaders are the best listeners. They take in as much information as possible; then they make a calculated decision based upon the information.
- Keep Commitments. If you promise something, always deliver. If you break promises, you will damage your credibility and your people’s trust in you.
- Extend Trust. Realize you can’t run your business on your own.
In fact, the job of the leader is to be the one to first extend trust. Not blind trust, mind you. You set expectations and create an environment of accountability. Craig Weatherup, the former CEO of PepsiCo said, “Trust cannot become a performance multiplier unless the leader is prepared to go first.”
The level of trust your team has in you dramatically impacts your business all day every day. It’s shown in every phone call answered and every service call ran. Make sure your people believe and trust in you. You can build that trust by demonstrating those 11 behaviors.
Have a successful day!