Four Tangibles of Trust

A cornerstone to highly effective leadership teams, or any team for that matter, is establishing trust. Most of us are all too familiar with environments where trust is absent; keeping the game face on, blaming, general CYA at all times, working around certain people or departments; not fully disclosing, etc. All of this takes a long of energy, causes stress, creates ineffective and inefficient work processes, and creates a sense of hopelessness about creating the outcomes everyone “says” they want. Patrick Lencioni who wrote the best seller, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, suggests that trust is so foundational that without it teams and organizations will find themselves perpetually underwhelmed by their results. But one liners about trust are so nebulous and so vague that it is hard to know what to "do" to create trust.

Trust can be quantified and is actually very concrete when it’s 4 elements are understood and deliberately worked. Managing trust can be a part of your personal and team leadership agenda.

Competence- Meeting Expectation

Simply stated: Do you have the skill, capability and capacity to perform the request at the expected level of excellence? When selecting a surgeon we do not generally put ourselves in their hands if they are not qualified and deemed competent by prior patients and other medical staff. The same is true in the business environment. If you find yourself taking things on that you have no expertise in but determine to take on anyway, it won’t be surprising when it is not done well. What you may not realize is that a general skepticism and lack of confidence will begin to erode “trust” in you. . When you hold yourself to be an expert at something but are not capable of performing to the specifications needed, you are, in essence, not trust worthy.

Reliability – The long View

Reliability consists of two elements. 1) Do you keep your word? and 2) Can you be counted on? Keeping commitments is based on having the integrity to do what you say you will do. If you promise something to someone on a certain date, does it happen consistently or do you “let things slide” without explanation requiring follow up? Do you say yes, when you know you won’t be able to accomplish the task when it is expected? Or how about the all so common, “let’s get together for dinner” without any intention to do so? When this behavior is exhibited you are seen as “not trustworthy” and the word spreads rapidly, most likely without ever getting back to you that you are “flaky.” Being counted on is related to keeping your word but it describes a deeper consistency. We once had an employee who was certainly competent and sometimes very reliable. However, there were times when this person became “missing in action” and in the end could not be counted on over the duration to be considered reliable or to be trusted. Consistency is essential for trust to be present.

Authenticity – Without Guile

To be authentic is simply to be sincere and transparent. This means that language is not disguised in double talk; people know that when you talk they can rely on your words. Authenticity also connotes integrity; when you say something, your actions bear it out. We see a lot of behavior today that is just the opposite of authentic or sincere; it is called beguilement. When our leaders or politicians use “guile” they are skilled in the art of deception using charm, hope and words that enamor but in the end mislead or delude. Authentic leaders give us the bad news without flowery words that mislead. The authentic path is sometimes a harder path as it takes courage and fortitude. In the end, however, it is these leaders who are most successful and most trusted. (sometimes even reaching beyond the grave in our memory)

Vulnerability – Beginner’s Mind

What does vulnerability have to do with trust? Wikipedia’s definition of vulnerability is to : have one's guard down, open to censure or criticism; assailable; refers to a person's state of being liable to succumb, as to persuasion. Clearly having one’s guard down when one is in military combat, is not what we are talking about here. The bullets of the corporation can be very threatening but the only way to “get out of corporate warfare” is for leaders to model a new way. This element is grounded in humility which happens to be the magic ingredient that Collins research defined for effective “level 5” leaders: catapulting them to the top. Being vulnerable as a leader means being open to others ideas, looking at things with what Buddhist call “the beginner’s mind." Allowing the expert mind to be quiet enough to learn new things and see others points of view. It means to honor and respect others ideas and perspectives. This also entails being open to feedback; both positive and negative with an attitude of learning and growth. Demonstrating vulnerability means letting go of the “old” command leadership style where you have all the answers to saying, “I don’t know” and allowing the answer to emerge or come from others as well as a willingness to try new things. Leadership teams that cannot have open conversations about their humanness, admit mistakes and fears and have the courage to “speak their truth” will never trust one another. This level of openness is simply required for real trust to exist.

The breach one of these elements decreases trust and trustworthiness. This doesn’t mean that one can’t apologize, establish new ways of operating and recommit! Working trust as a leader and as a team is a deliberate agenda that takes time for each member and the team as a whole to be consistent about. It's worth it if better results are desired and a personal benefit will emerge too as trust is established; more joy, less stress, a more fulfilling leadership experience, growth and better results.