Building Trust at Work
“Early in my career, I ended my corporate legal compliance training sessions with, “Remember, I can’t fix what I don’t know about.” I had heard rumblings of trust issues between the sales force and leadership, but I thought my reminder was enough to convince employees to come to me if they found a problem. Rookie move. I underestimated the depth of the trust problem and its impact on the company culture and its people. Without trust, employees operate from a place of fear - fear of retaliation, reprisal, and loss of credibility. This kind of fear stifles creativity and innovation, discourages honest communication, and destroys morale.
Rebuilding trust is no small feat and can feel daunting, but the following two small changes helped immeasurably:
Starting by “being human” – an intentional effort to start each call or meeting with, “Before we start, tell me how things are going for you.” This open-ended invitation allows the speaker to share to the degree they are comfortable, and I follow with something equally personal, establishing that authenticity and vulnerability are welcomed.
Ending every meeting with the question “Is there anything else I can do to help?” This departing offer underscores that we embrace offering and asking for help.
For me, trust is not built through grand gestures, but through the dogged daily commitment to doing these two small things with the hope that we can build 1% more trust every day.”
- Evans McMillion, Attorney and C-Labs Participant & Advisory Board Member
In a professional world that prioritizes expediency and financial gain, trust is an undervalued asset. Among employees, those who trust their colleagues and superiors feel more confident communicating with them proactively - coming to them with questions, ideas, admissions, and uncertainties. A willingness to communicate openly can lead to value-adding ideas being shared and fewer mistakes being made, and can prevent conflicts from snowballing into bigger issues. Trust is critical for companies to thrive in their relationships with both their employees and customers.
Did you know?
When we trust people, we do so based on the detection of three qualities: authenticity (the ability to be our genuine selves), logic (having sound reasoning and judgment) and empathy (expressing care for others and their success). Authenticity, logic and empathy can all be affected by context— experiencing what Frances Frei refers to as “wobbles”--and these wobbles can harm the development of trust. Authenticity wobbles can occur when we are placed in unfamiliar situations, or in organizations where people are pressured to fit in. Logic wobbles can happen when we are underqualified for our jobs or simply when we are unable to clearly articulate our ideas, and empathy wobbles can occur when we prioritize ourselves over others, become impatient or distracted, or neglect the perspectives of others.
Luckily, wobbles can be prevented with intention. Professor and researcher Brené Brown’s model for building trust includes 7 BRAVING behaviors (boundaries, reliability, accountability, vault, integrity, nonjudgment and generosity), and provides insight into how we might strengthen trust - how we might bolster our ability to be authentic, logical, and empathetic and stabilize these wobbles.
Accountability can help us steady logic wobbles. We can hold ourselves accountable for the rigor of logic that is required by our jobs and for working intentionally to present information in a way that is accessible and easy to follow.
Generosity and nonjudgment can steady our empathy wobbles. When we make generous interpretations of the actions and words of our colleagues, and are open to and encourage asking for and offering help, we express empathy and thereby build trust.
And integrity and generosity can help us manage the wobbles of authenticity. By leaning into what we know is right as opposed to what is easy or comfortable and by assuming the best in the face of difference, we can create workplaces that embrace authenticity.
Building trust means being prepared and communicative, being ourselves and allowing others to express their differences, and expressing an interest in the ideas and successes of others. And of course, trust involves patience— it is built in small moments over time and requires courage and intention to develop.
Awareness, Context, Intention
Building Awareness: How can you build trust with the people in your life? How does your organization build trust with your clients and among your employees?
Considering Context: In what workplace situations might “wobbles” appear?
Setting Intention: Identify and eliminate distractions that can cause “wobbles” in the components of trust. For instance, Frances Frei suggests the simple act of putting your phone away when you are having a conversation or are in a meeting to allow you to be more present with the person with whom you are talking.
Tap into your strengths
Use humility to hold yourself accountable for mistakes you might make in the process of building trust with your colleagues
Use perspective to actively consider the thoughts and feelings of others
Use bravery to bring your authentic self into the workplace, helping others feel comfortable doing the same
Use honesty to genuinely connect with clients and coworkers
