When it comes to business, nothing is more critical than trust. Whenever you hand over money, you expect the other party to provide you with goods and services in return.
Mostly, these relationships of trust work perfectly. However, sometimes, they can fall apart, especially between employees and their bosses.
In this post, we take a look at some of the things that you can do to build trust in your organization and gain all of the benefits that that brings. Remember, once your employees trust you, they are much more likely to tell you everything that’s going on in the company.
Be Encouraging, Not Commanding.
Managers like to take a commanding style because it makes them feel as though they are in control of the situation. In the short term, it works. But in the long run, you find that you lose control of the situation and people start to go behind your back. When you put too many rules in place, people can’t stick to them, and you end up with incidents.
The best approach is to see your role as a pusher, rather than a puller. You want to characterize yourself as somebody who encourages instead of dominates. This way, your employees feel empowered to succeed instead of just obeying your orders. It can wholly change the atmosphere in your company.
Take Blame For Things That Go Wrong.
Some managers can struggle to take the blame for things that go wrong in their organizations. They always want to shift fault down a rung.
Doing this, though, will be blatantly obvious to people on the ground and damages trust. When you don’t accept responsibility for things, then it becomes obvious that you’re trying to pass the buck onto somebody else. That’s not good.
Never Have A Favorite.
Having a favorite employee is a bit like having a favorite child. It creates problems.
As a manager, your job isn’t to pick one employee and prefer them to another. Instead, it is to think about what will make your entire business more successful. As a leader, you want to maintain a form of detachment from workplace relationships. Sure – become friends with the people around you. But don’t get to the point where you’re gossiping with some colleagues and ganging up against others. That’s a surefire way to destroy the brand from the ground up. Instead, see every person in your organization as contributing something essential. We’re all different. And none of us are sufficiently wise to see all the small things that a committed worker does to enhance the progress of the firm.
Ensure Standards Are Met.
Managers shouldn’t set policies for how to behave in the workplace – the employee handbook should. Just telling what you want is never as effective as appealing to a universal standard that applies to everyone, including yourself. Whether you’re drug testing in the workplace or resolving a dispute, the handbook should reign supreme. You want to follow protocol at all times on the most important issues while allowing leeway for every type of personality in your organization.
Be Competent.
Employees want to see that their leaders display competence themselves. It’s all well and good hiring somebody to fill a position. But if you have the ability to conduct the role yourself, that can help build trust.
Why? Because it shows your employees that you’re committed to excellence and not just relying on others. If you can do it, then it proves that you are investing yourself in the process.
Be Humble.
Surprising as it may sound, managers don’t know everything. Sometimes, they make mistakes. That’s why it’s so critical to be humble, open, and honest about your limitations. You can’t do everything.
Avoid Faking Knowledge.
When questioned, you can feel pressured to provide your colleagues with answers. But if you don’t know what to say, then pretending you do can undermine trust and your authority. Colleagues will get used to the idea that you like to fake knowledge, pretending you know things when, actually, you don’t.
Ideally, you want to have the confidence to admit that you don’t know. This way, colleagues will respect you more and feel better around you. You’ll appear more human.
In conclusion, getting your employees to trust you is a vital process. If people in your organization feel like they can’t approach you, employee turnover will rise and teams will become less cohesive. Worse still, colleagues will take matters behind your back, either because they are worried or because they can’t trust the answers you give.
