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Trust and Organizations
Trust issues frequently surface in conversations with clients. It’s the elephant that no one will talk about.The context is usually around getting the work done. People don’t trust that managers are telling them the real motivation behind their assignments. Managers don’t trust that their employees will deliver on their goals on time. Or people don’t trust that a teammate has anything but her own self-interests at heart. People are protecting their backs. Or, the more naive are stunned when left holding the bag on less than satisfactory work.
This article examines what trust is, what builds trust, and what breaks trust followed with an outline of a conversation to the stage for productive work environment, satisfying relationships, and authentic trust.
Lack of trust masquerades as low morale. It is demoralizing to work on an assignment only to have it set aside or eliminated because of a left turn in management’s agenda. The next assignment is then greeted with skepticism.
What Trust is:
If we trust someone to carry out a task, we believe that they are sincere when they say “yes”, are competent to deliver, and are reliable to carry it to completion.
The book Building Trust: in business, politics, relationships, and life by Robert Solomon and Fernando Flores provides 3 distinctions.
Simple trust: The trust we have as children and keep until we’ve been betrayed. Until we experience broken trust, we continue to assume that everyone is trustworthy. It would be a magical world if we could hold on to that kind of trust.
Blind trust: This occurs when we are in a relationship in which trust has been broken and there have been no attempts to repair the damage. You are operating out of blind trust when you continue to act as if the other person is trustworthy despite all evidence to the contrary. That’s sticking your head in the sand and setting yourself up for more heartbreak. That’s being dangerously naive.
Authentic trust: This occurs when we put trust on the table as a topic of conversation along with whatever it is we expect of them. We acknowledge that a promise can be broken. We discuss what steps each of us will take if that occurs. We make explicit that we have doubts and want to hear from the person who is making the promise to deliver what they will do and say that assuages the doubts.
Trust busters: Prime Candidates
Managers:
*Being vague about what you want
*Having a one-sided delegation assuming that the employee has no obstacles to performing
*Demanding tone of voice when delegating
*Assigning the same work to someone else at the same time
*Not delivering the support needed for employee’s success
*Micro-managing
*Not acknowledging completion of the task
Employees: *Saying “yes” while thinking “no” *Missing the delivery date with no heads-up *Discovering you are missing key information or cooperation and not alerting you manager *Not apologizing or explaining why things aren’t happening
Trust Builders: Foundations
Managers:
*Clearly define what you are looking for
*Ask employee about what might get in the way of success
*Listen to employee’s concerns and problem-solve
*Schedule follow-up conversations that meet both your needs
*Say “yes” or “no” that it met your criteria for successful completion
Employees: *Take the time to consider all circumstances which may conflict with the request *Let your manager know what might conflict. S/he won’t always remember everything on your plate. *Ask how this work affects the priority of other tasks *Ask for the information you need to be successful *Keep manager informed of any delays and renegotiate
Building trust happens in the act of communication. Make explicit the concerns about deliverables. Talk about it. Negotiate for something that can realistically be accomplished in the scope and time allotted.
The Conversation of Delegation:
Hold a 2-way conversation. Be sure to ask open ended questions to surface the employee’s thoughts and use active listening to demonstrate understanding.
Results: Define what will satisfy the request
Reason: Describe what’s in it for the company, the team, and the person
Roadblocks: Ask about and problem solve what might get in the way of successful completion
Resources: Discuss what is and isn’t available in terms of training, $$$, materials, stakeholders, support staff
Review: Schedule check-in meetings, how often, and process
Summarize what each of you will do by when
Trust does not just happen. You build it. You create it together by talking about it.
What’s the alternative? The manager thinks, “He says he will deliver, but I don’t know…s/he was late on the last project.” Or employee thinks, “I don’t dare so no. I’d be seen as not-a-team-player.”
Imagine the peace that of mind that comes with walking through this uncommon straightforward approach.
Building trust is not only critical to getting the work done but is core to building relationships.
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