When the Trust Is Gone

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffett

Many people don’t fully understand the impact of this popular statement until they find themselves in a precarious situation. Unfortunately when trust is broken, it can take a lifetime to rebuild it.

Irrespective of whether it be a personal or professional relationship, there are some key elements that form the foundation of a healthy relationship namely: honesty, respect, trust and communication.

We need be honest with ourselves first and foremost before we can be honest with someone else, we need to respect ourselves in order to be able to respect someone else, when we can be honest and respectful, trust is established and when there is trust, then a connection will be established and only then can real communication can take place.

When it comes to the workplace, employees not only put their trust in the organization they work for but also the manager they report to as well as the team they work within. Individuals will tend to be more open with their thoughts and feelings if they feel they are able to trust these elements as well as they are trusted – trusted to make decisions, do their job and the responsibility they have been given.

Just as children mimic their parents behavior, so too do employees mimic the leadership behavior in the organization. Parents set the tone by which the family functions and thrives whilst leaders set the tone for the corporate culture, values, vision and mission so yes the basic principles are the same.

Trust is the foundation for all relationships. Trust drives positive motivations towards work and as managers and leaders we need to walk the talk to ensure we capture our teams complete confidence and trust. If we can’t walk the talk then we need to change our talk.

Levels of seniority can also have an impact on trust within an organization where those who sit at higher levels potentially perceive the trust as being higher than those lower down the food chain. And those at the top are also potentially unaware of the perceptions of employees within the organisation.

So what are some of the ways you can build trust?

Open communication – sharing as much information as possible, encouraging a shared sense of ownership through company goals, vision and mission and people’s input being welcomed and valued.

Establish strong company values – values are the moral compass that keep both an organization and its employees focused, engaged and on track.

Create a strong sense of community – connect employees to one another in ways that empower them and increase their sense of belonging, connection and security.

Recognition and rewards – reward individual and team achievements in alignment to shared values and goals providing them with a sense of fairness, purpose, recognition, belonging, and choice.

Personal growth and development – individuals that have a high sense of self-awareness and emotional intelligence are able to use their emotional information to guide their thinking and behavior as well as manage and/or adapt to environments and situations. Flexibility and adaptability are key to every changing environments which is the norm in today’s world.

Trust is a necessary condition for employee engagement but the two are very different. Engagement involves giving of one’s energy to an organisation whether that be cognitive, emotional or physical, but it is almost like an exchange relationship. Trust is about accepting a certain amount of uncertainty but being willing to take risks and go into the unknown because you trust the other party that they will act in a positive way towards you. It is about a willingness to make oneself vulnerable in the face of uncertainty or insecurity.

Trust is more a personal and fundamental relationship and has key moral dimensions to it than what engagement does. In an organization, trust stems from the behaviour of direct managers as well as the organisation’s leaders however, organisations that have high trust are those where staff feel their trust is reciprocated and that they are themselves trusted by their mangers.

Paula Quinsee is a Relationship Expert, Tedx speaker and author of the self-help guide Embracing Conflict. Paula is also a consultant to the TV show ‘Married at First Sight SA’. She works with individuals and organisations to cultivate healthy relationships in both personal and professional arenas by focusing on real skills and personal growth and development. Go to www.paulaquinsee.com for more info.