Building Workplace Trust Means Follow Through
Have you faced challenges with building workplace trust? What are the reasons? Do you simply not trust someone, or is there more to it than that?
Trust is an essential part of workplace productivity. You’ll spend less time communicating instructions, following up, and worrying about the status when you trust those assigned to the work.
Trust is about more than being truthful or telling lies. When you ask someone what breaks down trust in their work environment they’ll often suggest that it is a lack of commitment to seeing job tasks or duties all the way through to completion.
This means that employees must be dependable, it also means that they must be accountable for their actions and behaviors. Including completing assigned work or following through on promises made.
What is in a promise?
In the meeting when you commit to performing an action item, you just made a promise. It is on your to-do list.
At the next meeting, it may be anticipated that you’ll give a status update or show the completed work. The team has trusted you to deliver.
If you don’t deliver, you’ve just let others down.
They may not trust you the next time.
Building Workplace Trust
What’s stopping people from delivering? It could be discipline or commitment to sticking with the task. It could be focus or time management. Among many things, it may also be connected to empowerment.
Employees who are not empowered are less committed. They are less loyal, and often come up short on expectations. This is both a boss and direct report problem, it isn’t one sided.
Empowered employees feel more responsibility. More responsibility means that their image or reputation is on the line. Passing the buck isn’t an option.
When you need commitment and follow through, you’re going to need trust. You’re going to need empowerment.
Building more is intentional. It is unlikely to happen by chance or by accident.
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
