Becoming A Trusted Leader

“We can build our leadership upon fear, obligation, or trust. However, only a foundation of trust results in the collaboration and goodwill necessary to achieve our peak performance.”

These words, from organizational design expert, Roger Allen, could hardly be more succinct in expressing the central role that trust plays in building and leading high-performance organizations.

With the integrity, of our business leaders under such a microscope these days, it’s valuable to take a moment for a refresher on trust in leadership. For integrity, though critical to trust, isn’t the only element of a trust-based management style. According to Seattle-based management expert, Stephen Robbins, trust is based on four other distinct elements in your relationship with the people you lead:

• Competence. At first this may seem strange—after all, can’t incompetent people be trusted? Of course, but not if they want to lead. Leaders are held to a different standard, and part of what your team trusts is that you know what you’re doing. It comes with the territory.
   
  • Example: The principal of the school I taught in years ago was known for being an outstanding teacher.  In fact, she was nominated for teacher of the year and won.  Although she had earned the reputation of being an outstanding classroom teacher, she struggled mightily in the role of principal. She did not have the skill set needed to lead a school, and the school suffered. Being a new teacher, it was interesting to experience and to witness, how the lack of competency eroded the trust of both the staff and parents. Ultimately, the PTA group united and petitioned the school system to have her removed from the role. Competency is a must in good leadership!
     
• Consistency. This is one of the most pragmatic elements of trust. If your team knows what you stand for, then they will believe that you will react in a predictable way to certain situations. Over time your consistently expressed values become the shared values of the team. Some charismatic leaders may purposely act unpredictably to “shake things up,” and they may well be wildly successful. But they won’t necessarily be trusted.
  • Example: Consistency is the foundation of trust! As a consultant in the corporate world, I had the opportunity to work under multiple managers. Those managers who were consistent in driving accountability and setting the standard for performance on their team, generated the loyalty. People wanted to work for them, whether they agreed with them or not. The managers that never stood for anything or seemed to change sides when the wind blew, developed the reputation of being difficult, and no one wanted to be on their teams.
     
• Loyalty. To a certain extent, your team can only trust you to the degree you are committed to their success and well-being. Max De Pree, the legendary CEO of Herman Miller and champion of the “servant leader” concept, puts it this way: “The leader’s first job is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the leader must become a servant and a debtor.” This servant/debtor relationship to your team is one that strongly conveys your loyalty to them.
   
  • Example: In a recent coaching conversation, a leader shared how one of their team members had noted the leader was stressed and needed to regroup. When the leader asked why the person thought this, the response was “You have quit saying please and thank you”.  Staying aware of yourself and how you treat your team in both good and challenging times will dictate a lot about the level of loyalty people will offer. People generally understand the role of leadership is challenging, but with that understanding there comes an expectation the leader will still be aware and considerate of how to treat team members along the way!  Stress is not an excuse to act poorly towards your people.
     
• Openness. Trust is ultimately the characteristic of a relationship, and it is through its relationship with you that your team expresses its trust. Openness is a cornerstone of the ability to build these relationships. If your team can’t get to know you, then they probably can’t get to trust you, either. With openness comes the requirement for a certain vulnerability: In this arena, you will generally have to “go first” by reaching out and creating such relationships.
   
  • Example: One of the most consistent missteps I see leaders make is the need to talk and tell verses the importance of asking and listening.  Most leaders feel they need to share their expertise, otherwise team members might question how they got to be in the lead.  It takes a strong leader to sit back and listen; this requires a level of vulnerability from the leader. There are times and places for leaders to step up and share their knowledge and expertise, but it is generally much better received when the leader has sat back and listened first.  When a leader models how to sit back and listen, team members learn to model the same behavior when they need to learn something. This creates an air of open communication on teams.

By investing in building and strengthening these qualities in your leadership, you will be steadily reinforcing your trust relationship with the people who work for you. Those relationships, in turn, become the foundation for building a high-performance organization, particularly in times of change and stress, when people tend to rely upon their personal relationships. If your team trusts you in good times, they are even more likely to stand with you when the times turn challenging.

Author’s content used under license, © 2008 Claire Communications - Italicized examples are written by Traci Dobrev.