No matter the industry, a leader’s success with office culture and teams thrives off one thing: trust. Regardless of whether you are a C-level executive, team manager or HR leader, your co-workers and team members need to trust decisions made within leadership. Thereafter, accountability becomes top priority. Without trust, the foundation that supports the workplace falters.
While building trust takes time, it fosters healthy work culture and empowers employees in the long run. Strong leadership pulls people together and inspires all to do something great that benefits the entire team, not just one person in authority. Trustworthiness makes for genuine accountability, consistency in actions and, when under pressure, it inspires teams to be better. Let’s dive into a few reasons why trust is the foundation that builds great leaders and an even better work environment.
Lift others and inspire
The best leaders aren’t simply coaches. They encourage others’ growth and invest time with employees. Supporting employees and recognizing their contributions while nurturing their development at work is vital. It can play a massive role in employee retention and engagement. It reassures employees they are integral to the workplace. How can this area of growing trust be improved?
Make time for employees. Whether it be one-on-one coffee chats or having lunch together, get to personally know them better. Even a gesture such as writing a note about their efforts or stopping by their desk to congratulate them on a win can make employees feel valued as a person, not just another face in the office. Trust begins with being genuine and inspiring others to lift each other collectively.
Facing accountability
Accountability is not always easy, but great leaders stand up in the face of a difficult situation. Facing issues head-on instead of casting them aside is a representation of integrity within leadership. Being accountable and transparent reflects positively on an organization and a leader’s morals.
Building trust in this area can be as simple as acknowledging a situation, either externally or internally, in the organization. But this is just one way to build trust. To foster a deep-rooted culture of trust, leaders must put action behind words. Remaining silent leaves a bitter taste with employees and clients. Building a wall after a stressful situation is never the answer. Be open about what happened and the efforts placed to resolve a problem. Continuing to learn as a leader is nothing to be ashamed of. Instead, it should be celebrated. Stepping up to do what’s right may not always save face, but it shows those around you what integrity in leadership looks like.
Act on feedback
What sets apart good leaders from great leaders is openness to receiving and acting upon feedback. Workplace culture is constantly changing; remaining stagnant to new ideas will cause harm to the organization.
Feedback should happen on an ongoing or regular basis, not only once a year. While performance reviews can provide an opportunity for employee feedback, it does not allow for consistency in feedback. Consider having either an open, employee-centric feedback channel or anonymous suggestion box to allow conversations and needs to be seen frequently. Alternatively, surveys and manager check-ins can help gather necessary feedback as well. As a leader, analyze and discuss the feedback with fellow leaders if necessary. By identifying pain points, it’s critical to take prompt action. Follow through on actions within a reasonable period. When employees see dynamic changes in the workplace, they know their input is heard and the organization grows. The feedback process shows there’s mutual trust between employees and leaders. Timely action and open communication create a safe environment for employees to generate a community brought together by trust.
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