In the effort to create a remarkable culture within your organization, trust is a critical element that you should continuously strive to establish, nurture, and validate.
Simply put, trust is the cornerstone of a strong business – and, by proxy, a remarkable culture. When you have it, your teams will work more efficiently and effectively. Your employees will not be afraid to speak up and voice their opinions. They will be eager to share ideas, knowing that their input will be respected and considered. Culture starts with trust.
Trust builds confidence, protects overall integrity, and supports innovation. It fosters collaboration, creativity, accountability, buy-in, and promotes an agile response to change – all elements you want to strive for.
Building trust: where to start
Culture starts with trust and as with many aspects of a high-performing company, trust comes from the top.
Even if you cannot create it yourself, you, as a leader, must play a key role in its establishment. On that token, you must first ask yourself whether you can trust, identify any unresolved issues, personal biases, or cynicism related to the process.
Before moving forward, it is essential to address any of these lingering issues so that they do not negatively impact your efforts.
How to build trust in your organization
There is no one single way to build trust. Establishing a culture of trust requires a combination of efforts, all leading to the final goal. Here are some vital trust-building strategies and concepts:
1. Open communication
Openness and transparency are foundational aspects of trust. When a team (or individual) knows that it is safe to take risks, ask questions, and discuss issues, it buoys feelings of confidence and invites the free sharing of ideas.
2. Sharing of information
Siloed organizations tend to invite suspicion from other departments, resulting in misplaced competition and resentment stemming from their lack of understanding. Sharing information, especially as it pertains to the overall health of the organization or processes your company is involved in, helps employees feel like they are a part of something bigger, even when they are not directly involved.
3. Trusting others in their respective roles
Management and leadership, especially, must establish an atmosphere of trust in their stakeholders at every level. If your onboarding and training processes are thorough, your employees should know what they are doing. Trusting them to perform their tasks inspires confidence and accountability. When employees understand what others are responsible for, this will be strengthened even further.
4. Assisting their growth and learning
Feedback, as well as additional training, can provide fertile ground for advancement that will benefit both the company and the individual, inspiring trust and loyalty. By having a growth plan in place for your employees, they can see the organization’s vision and their role in creating it.
5. Creating processes
When employees know what they are doing and how to do it, they will be inspired to carry out their tasks with precision and innovation, allowing them to be more accountable. They will be aware of the KPIs involved, and you will be able to trust them to support these values.
6. Providing consistency
Consistency is key to the success of any process, especially when it comes to building trust. When employees can depend on leadership to provide a consistent framework to follow, they will not hesitate to come to you should problems or obstacles arise.
While these are just a few ways to inspire a culture of trust, this represents a foundation for trust. To learn more about how to motivate your teams, reach out today.