Would you do business with someone you didn’t trust? The level of trust impacts business relationships with employees, clients, and colleagues. In fact, a recent U.S. Business survey indicated 22% employees have left a company because of trust issues.
Being honest and transparent with your team members builds trust within your organization.
When I was a new manager over 20 years ago (don’t do the math!), I thought I had to put on the perfect demeanor and not show any flaws or concerns over deadlines with my team. Then a newer auditor gave me invaluable feedback – that my attempt to be upbeat all the time came across as “fake”. Now that was not my intent when I woke up each day! I was mortified.
I started to share my lessons learned (a.k.a. mistakes) that helped me in my role and career to save them wasted energy and frustration. I acknowledged when deadlines were stressful and focused on increasing teamwork while often adding authentic humor during tense time. And I learned to laugh at myself. My goal was to build my team members up for success.
What I learned then is what current research shows now – 92% of employees would trust their senior leader MORE if they were more transparent about their mistakes.
It is because you are letting go of perfect appearances and being transparent with your mistakes and how you grew from them. This vulnerability keeps you real, honest, and authentic, which builds trust.
And developing trust through authenticity goes both ways. You want your employees to trust you, but you also need to trust them. Your willingness to delegate shows your level of trust in their performance. And, investing in their training for those responsibilities and providing honest performance feedback shows trust and empowers them to own their tasks and engage in their career growth.
Authenticity is one of five key characteristics of an engaging leader to S.H.A.P.E. Others for Success.
Schedule a complimentary 30-minute virtual Strategy Session HERE to learn more about helping your managers/supervisors navigate through our evolving workplace to be authentic, build trust, and increase employee engagement.
