5 ways to build trust as a leader

Have you ever heard the following phrase? 

“Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair”

Trust forms the foundations of great relationships, and psychological safety at work, and ultimately creates an open culture which is enjoyable to work in. But, you can’t build trust overnight, and you must be authentic to ensure that you have the correct impact. 

Harvard Business Review produced an interesting article regarding trust in the workplace, highlighting that “Recent research suggests that our mass shift to working from home during the pandemic has started to corrode our trust in our colleagues. Trust is a conviction that is built slowly, through repeated interactions that take place over a long period of time.

This past year, it has been particularly difficult to establish among team members who have never met one another before, and even more so for people who entered the workforce or switched jobs during the pandemic. Still, it is essential to doing our best work, being satisfied in our jobs, and having good relationships with our coworkers.”

The pandemic, for many, resulted in a breakdown of trust and in some instances, whether intentional or not, people’s trust was betrayed. So, we are now in a post-pandemic world where leaders have to focus on rebuilding the trust that has been inevitably lost over the past two years, and it can be challenging to navigate this and in reality, start again.

You must have accountability

Do you remember your first manager? What were they like? Did they hold themselves to the same standard as you, or, did they sit in an ivory tower, never bearing the consequences because they were “above” you? Although this sounds extreme, you can unknowingly fall into this territory and lose trust if you don’t keep yourself accountable, and equally, if you don’t create an environment where your team feels safe to challenge you if you aren’t performing to those expectations. 

Leaders can often feel afraid or concerned that this can cause a power imbalance, when in reality we need to hold each other accountable to ensure healthy performance and communication - no matter what the hierarchy looks like. 

Keeping yourself accountable shows your team that you don’t absolve yourself of responsibility, and instead own up to the mistakes that you make. Making mistakes and showing humility doesn’t make you a bad manager, it makes you human.

Have courageous conversations

Although this can sound quite broad, courageous conversations equate to the difficult scenarios where you must step outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. These courageous conversations could manifest as showing vulnerability to those in your team, which takes courage to do! Vulnerability can be shown in many different ways, which we have expanded on in this [blog], with our key points being:

• Sharing personal stories with a positive end goal in mind

• Relate to the emotion someone is feeling

• Be present in the moment with someone when they are sharing information

• Own up when you don’t know something

Another example of courageous conversations is addressing your team when someone has been let go, or something serious has happened in the business that can impact them. 

Instead of hiding behind an email, show up for your team and deliver the information with clarity - and a solution in some instances. This is a lot more impactful and shows that you care. 

Keep things confidential

This goes without saying, but respecting confidentiality as a manager is one of the core things you should be practising daily to gain the trust of your team. 

For new managers, this can be difficult, particularly if you aren’t sure what is, and isn’t confidential, as there will be circumstances where you may have to disclose confidential information to other managers. You must examine why you are sharing the information, and if it is in the best interest of the person who has been open and honest with you.

Don’t judge 

Your team will open up to you the more they start to trust you, and the worst thing you can do is openly judge someone for what they’ve told you. It’s completely human to judge, but know that it’s never helpful, particularly in a professional setting. 

This can be difficult to mask if information or situations arise that don’t align with your personal values. But, as a leader, you must practice self-awareness and know what triggers you to judge others. At that moment with your team member, you must hold space for them and rewire your thinking.

Try to understand why they are behaving a certain way, or give them the benefit of the doubt, which allows for a more empathetic style of leadership.  

This is also a time where giving the benefit of the doubt can help us lean into a more empathetic style of leadership. Finally, we may fault the outcome or action someone has taken, but we should distance that from how we feel about the individual, for example: "the action they took was inconsiderate, but that doesn't make them an inconsiderate person”. 

Have their back (even in tough situations)

There will be instances where your team is wrong, and where someone has made a mistake. Although lessons have to be learned in the workplace, and you can’t shelter your team every time they do something wrong, you should always have their best interests at heart.

Not only does it show that you have an empathetic and human approach to management, but it’s just the right thing to do. For example, let’s say a team member who usually performs exceptionally well has dropped the ball out of the blue on a project. In some instances, you could allow that individual to be disciplined and feel the consequences of their mistake. 

Or, you could metaphorically “have their back” and empathise that they may be struggling right now.

Of course, you shouldn’t do this repeatedly, but look at it on a case by case basis and always think about how you can prioritise your team’s trust whilst also enabling them to learn from their mistakes in a way that won’t make them feel like you’ve betrayed them.

Bonus Tip: How do you rebuild trust that you have broken?

If you’re in a situation where you have broken someone’s trust, it’s naturally going to take a long time to rebuild, so firstly forgive yourself, and have patience with yourself. It will potentially take even longer to regain their trust than the first time, so recognising that is important. 

The next thing to do is apologise, and not just with your words.

Actions speak way louder. So, demonstrate that you intend to make amends, and be clear around the steps you’re going to take, as well as give them clear parameters to hold you accountable. This still allows you to have a manager to team member boundary, whilst also showing them that you are intending to rebuild the trust that was lost. 

The skill it takes to build trust is crucial to becoming an inclusive leader, and is also a fundamental part of our new program. If you’d like to learn more, click here to enquire.