Trust and integrity are essential for leaders at every level.
Without trust, high performance is impossible. And without integrity there can be no trust. QwikCoach also believe that establishing trust and demonstrating integrity is becoming progressively more difficult to achieve in today’s work environment. Let’s explore why and what steps leaders can take to reverse this trend.
Some facts . . .
Gallup asked Americans to indicate how much confidence they have in a variety of U.S. institutions. Here’s the question and the results.
Why has trust diminished? Here’s our take . . .
Today, the world — for better or worse — is significantly more transparent. The ability to keep secrets has diminished, acts of hypocrisy are disclosed daily, and distrust of authority is more the norm than the exception. And — just to complete the circle — in the workplace, job mobility leaves more opportunity for leaders (as well as workers at any level) to move quickly with little consequence for their bad behavior.
Because trust levels are down, developing trust-based relationships simply takes more time, effort, and commitment. The Great Recession further complicated matters when relationships of trust and integrity seemed to be falling daily and institutions once trusted proved more than a bit flawed.
What can leaders do with this information?
They use it to their advantage to build trust and demonstrate integrity! Here’s how . . .
First, while low levels of trust and perceived integrity are of course not good news, this “new normal” can actually be put to “good use.” Because people’s expectations are lower than normal, leaders who are sophisticated, smart, and caring enough to want to legitimately earn people’s trust and respect have a great opportunity to do just that. Today with levels of trust and perceived integrity at all time lows, exceeding low expectations should be everyone’s highest priority.
Second, start and stay small. By that we mean, focus on the day-to-day work lives of people and do everything possible to be as honest, transparent, clear, focused, and straightforward as possible. Tell people clearly what is expected of them, help them achieve their best, and make sure commitments and promises are followed through. Do not get caught promising things you have no way to deliver. And please, do not pass the buck. You know, try not to say something like — well I would pay you more but the bigwigs don’t want to.
Third, remember that the most important thing is consistency. And, like many things that need and take daily commitment, make being honest and demonstrating integrity a daily promise to yourself first, and others next. Other leadership skills are easier to focus on because they can appear at first hand to be more related to the demands of “the bottom line.” Goals, deadlines, cost control, delegation — all require skill but not character per se. Earning people’s trust takes a daily focus on doing the right thing all the time.
If you are not sure what the right thing is, rethink your role as a leader. Logically one of the reasons you have reached some level of authority is that you have demonstrated that you can be trusted. Sadly, in some cases, people start out fine as leaders — proud of their new position and focused on doing the right thing — but get lazy and make poor choices that were easier than the right ones. Remember — especially when it comes to trust and integrity — poor decisions always come back to haunt you!
Americans also don’t trust each other. This article looks at this increasing problem and suggests ways to address it. It includes inspiring others with honesty. Leaders — go for it!
Poll: Americans don’t trust one another
Additional Insights . . .
- Video
- Someone you may not have expected to do an Oprah class on integrity — but Ted Turner did. Interesting and thought provoking..
Ted Turner on Honor and Integrity
- Someone you may not have expected to do an Oprah class on integrity — but Ted Turner did. Interesting and thought provoking..
- Additional Reading
- Want to hear it from experts and get more detailed ideas about being a trustworthy leader.
The Trustworthy Leader: Leveraging the Power of Trust to Transform Your Organization - Trust and integrity are complicated issues. If you deal with outside vendors or sometimes find it’s tough to figure out who to trust, this article will help.
Who Can You Trust?
- Want to hear it from experts and get more detailed ideas about being a trustworthy leader.