"This world is the most beautiful creation and gift of God. The people on this planet are also the beautiful creatures and are always good. My lack of vision is not allowing my eyes to see this incredible world and the heart to feel it."
“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you”
- Friedrich Nietzsche
I have great faith in trust. Trust is built up between two people due to character. You start believing in others and others will definitely believe you. Producing results, clarity in thinking, commitment to goals, action-based leadership gradually built up trust in the relationship at the work place in the team. If you do not have trust in people, how will you be able to achieve common goal.
When we look at the truly successful organizations of both today and yesterday, we find their leaders fostered these five principles of creating trust. Consider the great military leaders of history (Augustus Caesar, Oliver Cromwell and George Washington) as well as the genuinely beloved political leaders (Yes, there actually had been some: Joan of Arc, Peter the Great and Gandhi). And then there are highly respectable industrial leaders (Henry Ford, Lee Iacocca and Jack Welch). All these great leaders built trust among their superiors, peers and subordinates, and it was this that spurred success and greatness for themselves, their units, alliances and companies.
Trust at workplace results in relaxed, open, creative and incredibly productive environment. Hence, truth flows. The absence of trust will limit growth and will result in lost opportunities. In the worst situations, many of the recent corporate abuses took place when truth was muted. Corporate values are more likely to be lived in a trusting environment.
A trusting environment is a combination of many things including values, emotions and behaviours. Your leadership development efforts are incomplete without an element of trust at the workplace.
Medical doctor Arky Ciancutti and a Ph.D. in computer science Thomas Steding think that trust is crucial. The authors and consultants of ‘Built on Trust: Gaining Competitive Advantage in Any Organization’ (Contemporary Books, Lincolnwood, Ill.) stands with the belief that high-trust organizations outmanoeuvre those built on fear.
An organization in which employees gain one another's trust and always follows trust command from the masses has a powerful competitive advantage. This helps it retain the best people, reach out successfully to new markets, inspires customer loyalty, and provide more innovative products and service.
Trust cannot be built up over night. Long-term trust is an inseparable part of a leadership training process and that takes time and effort. It is clearly the essence which fuels meaningful relationships. Trust is not a miracle that appears magically. Trust in a relationship without certain elements does proceed over time. And, once trust has been broken it is difficult and sometimes impossible to establish once again.
Leader must ask this question himself: “Are my actions each day demonstrate that I trust my employees?
When a manager’s conduct is unswerving over a period of time and another person can reasonably predict that behaviour, trust is possible. By contrast, it is hard to trust a person whose actions are inconsistent or unpredictable.
Sometimes trust gradually leads to blind trust. When number of experiences with the same person is smooth while dealing in and most of the time, the results are positive or his attitude is followed your expectations...then trust is built up.
I mean trust along with number of experiences creates a certain level of blind trust in relationship. You will always find this type of trust in between husband-wife relationships. Do you think manager checks in during the afternoon at home, whether wife is at home or not? Or do you think that wife checks in at the work place by phoning to confirm whether her husband is at work place? My answer is big ‘No’. Because, blind trust level is established. Blind trust is difficult to produce at work place but it can be always possible.
Trust cannot be built up by watching minor activities and by observing every step people are moving...vigilance on their every step demoralise people and less amount of commitment are performed at the work place. Leadership fails to generate 100 percent of team spirit by vigilance eye.
The fruits of blind trust are empowerment. Trust and empowerment are the two sides of the balance. Blind trust is the extreme level of relationship. People deeply route themselves in relationship and feel constant flow of love and respect towards each other due to blind trust.
Trust is the most important element of a harmonious, synergistic and efficient work environment in organizations.
Some managers usually ask, "How can we build trust in the workplace, and how can we avoid losing it?" Well, it starts at the top level. Since, trustfulness and trustworthiness exist only if top management level sets an example, and then it is set in every department and unit.
I've found that there are five perfect, impeccable ways for leaders to build trust into their team.
Establish and maintain integrity
Communicate vision and values
Consider all employees as equal partners. Focus on shared, rather than personal.
Do what's right, regardless of people and power, solve problems and share credits.
Help showing when not knowing.
But, be careful because there are also the five fastest ways to lose trust.
Act and speak inconsistently
Seek personal rather than shared gain
Withhold information, Lie or tell half-truths
Be closed-minded, trusting few team members
Blaming people and ordering instead of listening
Trust is not only a matter of management tool but it is life, love and living.
