Trust

Another important pillar of employee engagement is Trust. Trust is defined as “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone”, but what is it, really? Trust is an emotional response, not a logical one. Trust cannot be quantified, and is very difficult to measure, yet it is the foundation of all successful relationships.

Trust can be as difficult to build as the Great Pyramids, and easier to lose than a sock in a dryer. Years ago I worked with a project manager who kept “Attaboy” cards that he would occasionally hand out when he caught you doing something right. The text on these cards perfectly summarized the fragile nature of trust:

For your OUTSTANDING Performance you are awarded “ONE ATTABOY”

One thousand “ATTABOYS” qualifies you to be a leader of men, work overtime with a smile, explain assorted problems, and be looked upon as a local hero!

NOTE: One “AWSHIT” wipes the board clean and you have to start all over again!”

We trust people, not abstractions like “the company” (Belief in abstractions is faith, not trust). Trust in the company is purely driven by how the leaders act and behave versus what they say. Trust is cultivated when leaders “walk the talk” and the actions of the organization are easily reconciled with the words. In the last post I wrote about Clarity, and how it connects the messages of the organization to the actions of the individuals, yet regardless of how much clarity is provided, people will not engage if they don’t trust those delivering the message.

• Trust is built when leaders act on feedback, and destroyed when they do not.
• Trust requires sharing success AND sharing pain. 
• Trust is about leadership demonstrating a sense of control and not acting in a way contrary to stated principals because they “didn’t have any choice.”