“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Today’s post on Trust comes from my dear friend Shahrill of NuQuest again. Shahrill is a dynamic and successful entrepreneur and speaker of his training consultancy firm, NuQuest. His company specializes in leadership and team building programmes. Over the years, Shahrill has developed his cutting edge materials and inspiring presentation skills that has many global companies and organizations seeking the consultancy services of his company. He is passionate about your success as an entrepreneur and leader as well. This is his second guest post.
You may be a skillful, effective leader but if you don’t trust your personnel and the opposite, then the chances of improving and expanding the business or tasks you deal with, are extremely limited.
It’s not critical for the employees to like the boss, but they have to trust him or her. If not, he won’t be able to lead them and the workers will have little motivation at work.
Truth and trust are connected together. You could be honest for years but one lie can destroy the trust you have built all this time and there is no doubt that regaining that trust is very difficult.
You have to be honest. Do not say “I don’t know” when you know. Be straight and say exactly what you have in mind. When you say “No” mean it. We have to realize that the work place is not a popularity contest . Tasks need to be completed and work’s goals should be accomplished with success.
Therefore, trying to be pleasant all the time will build obstacles to your job and disorientate you from your real goals at work.
1. Open your ears and accept criticism from employees or colleagues. It’s hard for every person to accept comments – especially negative – but in order to lead you will have to. Always listen to other ideas, suggestions and encourage open discussions. That doesn’t mean, in case you are the manager that you don’t decide according to your facts.
2. Demonstrate the trust. Just saying “I trust you” is not enough. You have to show it by assigning responsibilities and providing all the tools they need in order to succeed in the tasks you assign to them. When we say tools we mean training, information etc
3. Recognize the well done job. People need to be appreciated especially at work. When an employee is productive, and finishes the assignment successfully show your appreciation directly. People need the approval to be in public and the negative comments in private. It’s in human nature, we can’t change it, and so it is important to follow that rule.
Recent research analyzes that workers do not care only about the money. They want to be educated at work, to take initiatives and also play a part in resolving problems that occur.
To sum it up, you have to do what you preach, and be clear with your actions. When you say “No” or “Yes” mean them, and of course you have to give the example. If you enforce a rule at your company but you are the only one who breaks it, don’t expect the rule to last for long. Especially the trust will vanish, and leading your team will become extremely difficult task.
your words makes a lot of sense
thank you Shahrill for the nice post :)
Hi Farouk,
Shahrill sends you his apologies. He is out of town and apparent where he is at the moment, internet connection is non existent.
Hi Shahrill,
Trust is very important. I remember the first time I read anything about trust, and that was the book “Trust” by Francis Fukuyama I read at the University. And after that, I’ve read about trust and the importance of building relationships in books, articles and in blog posts. What you’re saying is very important. The only way, or at least the most important way to build trust is through relationships.
For instance, I always listen to my friends and family. All the major decisions in life are because of conversations I’m having with them, and that’s because they’re at the top of the chain-pyramid. And I think that we’ll need to look at relationships as a pyramid, and that the closer to the top you’ll get the more power you’ll have in other people’s lives (and the more love you’ll get etc.. )
Great post!
- Jens
Jens P. Berget recently posted..An App That Makes You Scream YEAH!!
Hi Jens,
Thanks for dropping by with such a delightful comment. Shahrill would like to apologise for not responding as he is out of town at the moment. Apparently where he is at present, internet connection is non existent.
How often are you doing the last one?
I know for myself, I forget to do this a lot, but I am trying to do a better job of it. Everyone appreciates hearing they’re doing a great job — even the janitor. A little praise can go a long way in building relationships!
Thanks for sharing!
Grady Pruitt recently posted..Finally! The Secret to Reaching Your Goals Revealed!
Thanks Grady for your comment. Shahrill would like to apologise for not responding as he is out of town at the moment. Apparently where he is at present, internet connection is non existent.