by Michael Holland
The foundation to all relationships – managers and employees alike – is trust. We build trust through our actions and our behaviors. Are we reliable, dependable, and consistent? Are we true to our word and “talk straight?”
Employees want to have confidence in their manager. They want their manager to manage, dealing with the good and the bad. They want to trust that you will reward performance that is superior and deal with performance that is substandard. Can your employees trust that you will manage? And in turn do you demonstrate that you trust your employees?
Do you delegate responsibilities, showing that you trust their skills? Do you listen to their input and demonstrate that you value their ideas? Do you encourage them to solve problems on their own, showing that you trust their judgment? Be attentive to your trustworthiness and how willing you are to trust others.
Take a moment to list those behaviors or actions which you feel build trust.
- As you review the list, think through recent situations with your employees and how your actions and behaviors might have been perceived from their vantage point.
- Does this perception align with your desired trust goal?
- What could you do differently to adjust this perception?
