Is there a short answer for building trust in the workplace?
Yes, very short: Say what you mean and do what you say.
Look, trust fritters and dies two ways. First, when people aren’t candid with one another. When they sugarcoat tough messages. When they use jargon and baloney to purposely make matters obscure and themselves less accountable. The only way to get candor into an organization is for the bosses to identify it as a top value, consistently demonstrate it themselves, and reward those who follow their lead.
The second trust-killer is when people say one thing and do another. Again, bosses are the main culprits. They tell people to take risks but nail them when they fail. They endorse stretch budgets and invite their people to dream big, then punish them if the numbers fall short, even at the end of a decent year. They proclaim a commitment to customer service and let the factory ship less-than-perfect product to make the month’s sales quota. Or worst of all, they espouse the company’s values at the top of their lungs but keep and reward people who don’t live according to those values simply because they make the numbers. The message that sends to the organization is: Nothing I say means anything. Don’t trust me.
Trust, ultimately, isn’t very complicated. It’s earned through words and actions instilled with integrity
This question and answer originally appeared in Business Week magazine on August 14, 2006.
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