Michael McFall is the co-Founder and co-CEO of BIGGBY COFFEE as well as author of the Inc. Original books GRIND and GROW.
As leaders navigated their companies through the challenges of a global pandemic, pivoting to accommodate a red-hot consumer economy and then recalibrating for an ever-allusive “new normal,” something surprising happened: They lost the room.
This is supported by a recent Gallup survey, which found that only 21% of U.S. employees say they “‘strongly agree’ that they trust the leadership of their organization.” It seems that after leading the charge into their companies’ post-pandemic future, many business leaders are looking behind them and finding few followers.
As Gallup explains, “Trust begins to build when employees feel inspired by senior leaders and see strategic actions leading to business success.” However, as companies cut costs, embrace new priorities and reconfigure their teams, many employees feel their leaders are neither inspiring nor strategic.
This may help explain why more than half of employees are disengaged at work and 42% are looking for new job opportunities.
Put bluntly, trust is a foundational component of effective leadership, and bosses or supervisors who haven’t earned their teams’ trust are leaders in name only. Addressing this challenge requires decisive action, and I believe it’s imperative to creating sustainable, thriving organizations at every level.
Steps To Restoring Trust
I believe that repairing the damage should be an urgent priority for leaders at every level, in companies big and small. Here are three steps to begin restoring trust in your leadership today.
1. Establish Your Core Values
Trust within an organization stems from the establishment of and adherence to core values. These values serve as the guideposts that shape the behaviors and interactions within a team. When an individual joins a team, understanding these core values helps them recognize the team’s priorities and behavioral guidelines.
As a leader, it is crucial to exemplify these core values consistently. Failure to live by the set values can lead to a credibility gap, and your team can perceive a disconnect between what is professed and what is practiced. This can erode the trust your team members have in you and in the organization.
Every company can have its own set of core values, but example traits with broad application include:
• Openness
• Respect
• Compassion
• Accountability
• Integrity
• Teamwork.
Core values serve as the team’s North Star, informing actions and stipulating standards in any scenario.
2. Expect People To Be Themselves
Establishing an environment that encourages authenticity is critical for the well-being and productivity of a team. This means creating a space where team members are free to express not only their best, but also their less favorable traits, and making them feel comfortable enough to bring their whole selves into the interaction.
This inclusivity necessitates a supportive leadership approach that fosters an atmosphere of trust and safety, allowing individuals to operate in their true essence.
In unhealthy organizational structures, employees often find themselves investing significant amounts of time and energy deciphering their role within the team, figuring out team dynamics and trying to interpret the expectations of their superiors.
This constant self-adjustment and evaluation, the equivalent of constantly trying to solve a complex puzzle while performing professional tasks at a high level, can take away from their ability to focus on the challenges at hand and problem-solving.
In contrast, removing identity-based stressors allows people to focus on tasks, fostering improved productivity and more meaningful professional and cultural outcomes.
3. Create A Culture That Accepts Different Perspectives
In an increasingly polarized and reactionary cultural and business environment where even a marketing campaign can create an intense cultural backlash, people are often afraid to bring their authentic selves to work.
One employee survey found that 64% of people are “fearful of being authentic around others in the workplace,” with 70% saying they “adopt an entirely different personality when they’re at work.” This is a serious challenge for today’s leaders. When people feel they can’t bring their authentic selves to the office, I find that mistrust is a natural next step.
In reality, biases, or the viewpoints and preferences that collectively comprise our authentic selves, are natural and ubiquitous. Everyone has biases forged from their preferences, experiences and expectations.
Bias is perhaps better understood as perspective, and I believe that accepting people’s biases as part of their authentic selves is an important part of a safe, trust-filled work environment.
Leaders can help their teams experience this reality by creating an environment where biases can collide and empowering people to leverage their unique perspectives and authentic selves to build better businesses and cultivate thriving teams.
How To Take The Next Step
As leaders adapt to a continually changing global business landscape, many are losing their employees’ faith. Addressing this challenge requires decisive action.
To take the next step, leaders must foster a culture of engagement, facilitating open dialogue and extending unconditional support to their team members, even when faced with what may seem like unconventional ideas.
I am a firm believe that every opinion must be respected and acknowledged, which can help ensure that every team member feels seen and heard. This practice is deeply connected to the concept of “loving unconditionally,” which may seem unusual as a corporate value but is integral to the trust-building process.
Most importantly, trust is built brick by brick as leaders’ consistent words and actions create an environment that values authenticity and diverse perspectives. It takes time to build but can be lost in a moment, making now the perfect time to begin rebuilding or reinforcing trust as a foundation for future success.
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