In one of my recent leadership workshops, the participants confessed that they don’t trust their leaders to have their best interests at heart. I have been hearing this a lot of late. It’s unfortunate but we can no longer pretend: We are suffering from a trust deficit in leadership generally. In Africa, we have stopped trusting our political leaders long ago but this lack of trust is extending to leadership in other spheres, including the corporate space.
Without trust, what do you see? Disengagement and a lack of ownership. When trust is present, what do you see? Commitment, creativity and ultimately productivity.
So if you are in a leadership role, the question you should be asking yourself is: “How trustworthy am I?”
There are many things that you can do to increase your trustworthiness but I have selected just a few. I studied the leaders I have worked with, who are highly trusted and I noted five things they all have in common.
- They walk their talk. They show integrity by practicing what they preach. They don’t say one thing and do another. This comes from a commitment to doing the inner work in terms of introspection, reflection and a having a growth mindset. I know one leader who displayed integrity by alignment with her values both in the small things in her personal life to major public decisions in her professional life.
- They manage their egos and show vulnerability: A manager I know was particularly good at this. He didn’t have to be the cleverest person in the room (even though more often he was). He was open about saying: “ I don’t know or I am not sure.” In other words, he managed his ego’s need to be in control at all times, to be in the limelight or to appear to be totally on top of everything. People trusted him because: 1) they could relate to his vulnerability; and 2) he demonstrated that it was not all about him but about serving others.
- They deliver on promises: There is nothing that erodes trust more than broken promises. In this respect, the trusted leaders I know are all great at keeping promises and managing expectations. To do this, I have sometimes seen them under-promise and over-deliver. Either way, they keep their word and if they can’t, they explain what happened without getting in the habit of making excuses.
- They Show Courage: This is not always about huge acts of courage like battling cancer. As Dr. Jen Frahm states, this may be about “the micro moments” of courage. For example, one leader I know took a tough decision even though he knew it would incur the wrath of important stakeholders. Another leader would delegate and let go power even as she was cringing because she was naturally a high control person. And yet another leader would prioritize by saying no so that she could focus on that which would bring more value to her company. People trust leaders who are willing to combat their fears.
- They are willing to have difficult conversations. They don’t avoid difficult conversations even in the face of their own discomfort. One Director I know had the gift of getting straight to the chase in these conversations. Her radical candor combined with palpable kindness made her very trustworthy. So while people did not always agree with her, they trusted her because they knew where they stood and they knew she had their best interests at heart.
So back to you? Are you trustworthy? If you are not sure, what can you do differently to become even more trusted? What else have you seen trusted leaders doing? We would love to hear from you so share with us in the comments below.