Why trust is crucial for exceptional leadership, and how to build it

It’s not been the easiest few years for people managers, has it? Since the global pandemic, the list of demands on leaders has grown exponentially. Alongside this, trust in leadership has been gradually eroding. If you are a people manager reading this post, you’ll be nodding your head as I recite our tick list of challenges:

• managing hybrid teams

• recruitment and retention

• shrinking budgets

• restructuring teams

• digital transformation

• declining wellbeing, productivity and employee engagement.

How many of these changes have you led your team through?

The key to tackling every one of these workplace issues is trust. Where trust exists between a leader and their team, people unite and great things can happen.

Colleagues that trust their line manager and senior leaders in their organisation are more likely to be engaged at work. Building trust is at the heart of building your reputation as an exceptional leader and creating the leadership legacy you want.

In this blog we explain how trust affects the way employees feel about their work. We share eight areas to develop your skills to build trust with your team, and why a culture of trust is the holy grail for businesses.

Without trust, people cannot perform at their best

The relationship between a leader and their team affects performance, enjoyment, wellbeing at work. Trust is at the heart of this relationship.

When trust is lacking or missing, employees tend to struggle to do their best. This is because trust is the foundation of a stable, respectful and safe working relationship. When team members don’t feel a sense of security, stability and mutual respect at work, they disconnect from their team, manager and employer. In simple terms, they are more likely to leave the organisation.  

Colleagues want to trust in your leadership

In their Global Leadership Report: What Followers Want, Gallup revealed Trust as one of four words used to describe leaders who have had a positive influence on people’s lives. In fact, 33% of people chose trust as the most important factor, coming second behind Hope at 56%. When you take a step back and think about it, isn’t trust one of the foundations of hope? When you trust someone, you are more likely to believe in what they say.

Building a legacy through trust-based leadership

As the saying goes, ‘Trust takes a lifetime to build and seconds to break’. Snapping at a colleague, failing to listen, or one poor customer experience can undo all the good work.  

Creating trust takes time and commitment. If you were to step up to lead a team where the previous leader has had low trust, this can be tricky. It can take a long time to rebuild the trust that was missing. The good thing is trust is reciprocal. What you give, you should expect to get back from your team in return.

Are you serious about building an exceptional leadership legacy?

Follow these pointers to build and maintain trust in the workplace:

1. Admit when you are wrong. We all make mistakes. Owning them shows vulnerability and builds respect.

2. Listen actively to team feedback, feelings, ideas and suggestions.

3. Communicate clearly. Be open and honest with business information. Never hide important details from your team unless you have a valid business reason to.

4. Trust your team by empowering them to explore their ideas and take on new responsibilities.

5. Involve your team in decision making and encourage valuable feedback.

6. Care for their wellbeing. Get to know your team, so you can spot when things may be off kilter. Have regular check-ins and ask if anyone would like any extra help or support.

7. Use your emotional intelligence. Be mindful of your team’s thoughts and feelings. Ask yourself what their body language, actions and behaviours are telling you.

8. Promote growth and development. Find ways to support and encourage your team’s personal and professional growth.  

Doing these things consistently will build trust in your leadership and inspire hope and enthusiasm in your team for a bright future. If you would like to learn how to put this into practice, come along to our exceptional leadership development programme. More details below.

Embedding trust into business culture

When trust is accepted as part of company culture, it makes leadership a whole lot easier. Companies built on trust are more resilient to change. Employees have more confidence and belief in decision-making, meaning they are more willing to follow when you want to head in a different direction. In companies where trust is strong, employees are more motivated, engaged and productive.

This makes leading by example and practising the behaviours and characteristics of an exceptional leader even more vital. From showing up on time to living the values, every action and decision you take could build (or erode) your leadership legacy. 

Lead your team into the future with confidence and enthusiasm

To build trust with your team, you need to consider the needs of your team, your customers, the business, and its wider stakeholders. A values-led culture can support this, but creating one takes commitment and discipline.

If you, or someone you know would like to develop their skills and confidence in leading a team, take a look at our Exceptional Leadership Makes Sense programme. Our open programme has start dates throughout the Autumn.

Here’s a flavour of module one, which focuses on trust:

• How to build trust and the impact of this on our team

• The people you need to build trust with

• The impact of trust on business culture and values

• Where to focus to become a highly trusted leader

• How our actions and behaviours can build or break trust

Trust is integral to good leadership

If your team don’t trust you as a leader, they won’t believe a word you say. People talk with their feet; a lack of trust will show as poor staff retention, bad customer reviews and low productivity and engagement. Building trust allows you to influence others and inspire change as part of your leadership legacy.

Leading people has its challenges. Building reciprocal trust with your team is one of the most rewarding things a leader can do. The trust you give, you can expect to receive in return.