Leaders who have not built and inspired trust with their employees are unlikely to be successful over the long term. The ability to build and inspire trust is essential to engage and influence employees to move the organization forward and achieve strategic goals. Trust enables for attracting and retaining top talent. People are interested in working for organizations where employees trust leadership.
Building trust takes time. It is based on the actions taken, or not taken, when leading employees. It is based on what is communicated and how it is communicated. It is based on being open, honest and transparent about what is happening within the organization.
Leaders can build trust with employees in a variety of ways, including:
- Doing what you say you will do, when you say you will do it.
- Communicating what is going on in the organization as much as possible; and, when you are unable to share information, being honest that you cannot share information and saying when you will be able to do so.
- Sharing the vision for the organization and the values of the organization – and living those values yourself.
- Treating all employees as equal and as part of the team (no favorites.)
- Seeking feedback and opinions from employees and giving credit where it is due.
- Engaging employees in change initiatives and ensuring and enabling for them to participate in change by shaping the change.
- Following through on commitments/promises made to employees.
