Building Trust as a Leader

Dictionary.com’s first definition of trust is “reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence”. The website prompts also that it is “the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence or authority is placed: a position of trust”. Both definitions imply that trust is a relationship of reliance: indeed, a relationship without trust is no relationship at all. Trust is therefore both an emotional and a rational (cognitive, calculative, and rational) act. The emotions associated with it include affection, gratitude, security, confidence, acceptance, interest, admiration, respect, liking, appreciation, contentment, and satisfaction, all of them necessary ingredients of psychological health. The logic of it is grounded in assessments of a party’s dependability, which play a significant role in decisions to trust. As expected, there are different intensities to trust, depending on why one grants trust and why it is accepted: knowing the different types of trust informs decision-making at each level. Strangely, however, despite instinctive recognition of the importance of trust in human affairs, its conceptualization in the workplace remains limited in the literature but grew in the 1990s, while actions to foster it in that environment are still not readily discernible in practice. In organizations, business processes be they management, operational, or supporting processes are conducted via relationships. Since trust among interacting parties is the foundation of effective relationships, it stands to reason that organizations can reap benefits from strengthening it. As a matter of fact, high-trust environments correlate positively with high degrees of personnel involvement, commitment, and organizational success. Decided advantages include increased value; accelerated growth; market and societal trust; reputation and recognizable brands; effortless communication; enhanced innovation; positive, transparent relationships with personnel and other stakeholders; improved collaboration and partnering; fully aligned systems and structures; heightened loyalty; powerful contributions of discretionary energy; strong innovation, engagement, confidence, and loyalty; better execution; increased adaptability; and robust retention and replenishment of knowledge workers. Nothing is as relevant as the ubiquitous impact of high trust

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to

• Understand why it is important to be concerned with trust when leading individuals and teams
• Gain awareness of the elements of trust, the factors that erode trust, and what you can do to build and sustain trust
• Learn a common language for enhancing trusting relationships and becoming a more trustworthy leader
• Improve morale and retention through creating a culture of trust that allows creativity, productivity, and commitment to flourish
• Diagnose trust issues, manage trust conversations, and revive broken trust
• And many more