Even more shocking is the news that only 7% of respondents feel strongly that their managers take their interests into account. It is a picture where there is a knife-edge fight to protect our own needs and interests.

This is a huge challenge for today’s businesses, says Randy Conley, Head of Trust Business at Ken Blanchard Companies®. Conley says, „Trust is the foundation of every relationship – whether personal or professional. At the company level, low trust results in lost customers, declining revenues, and poor brand image and reputation. At the level of individuals, low trust translates into declining performance, increasing disciplinary cases, poor team spirit, increasing churn and absenteeism, to name but a few. All these challenges are faced by managers.”

Let’s not bury our heads in the sand!

Conley reminds leaders that trust doesn’t happen by itself. It can be developed through specific behaviors. Conley says: „What won’t work is to stick our heads in the sand in the ostrich’s ‘tried and tested’ way and expect the problem to go away or the situation to improve. Leaders need to look in the mirror self-critically and then rise to the occasion and recognize the immense power they have to improve the situation.”

 „Leaders’ behaviors either build or destroy trust. At Ken Blanchard Companies®, we use the TrustWorks!® four-element model to help identify behaviors that build relational trust:

• Ability, which is about the leader’s knowledge and experience.
• Believability, which speaks to the leader’s character, consistency and values.
• Connectedness, which reflects the leader’s concern for and consideration of people and ability to get on the same wavelength with them.
• Dependability, which is about being relied on and keeping our promises.

We can improve the situation immediately with this

When working with leaders, Conley stresses that all four areas must work to maintain trust. As a leader, you can’t focus on two or three areas and then expect to get 75% trust from your employees. Trust is an overall feeling and people either trust or they don’t – based on our behavior in the four areas above.

With that said, if you had to name an area that is a low-hanging fruit, Conley says that in most organizations it would be Connectedness. This is the element that often escapes the attention of leaders, even though it is the easiest to develop.

Conley says: „Connectedness building behaviors are entirely dependent on the leader. This includes issues such as how much information is shared, how frequently we communicate and how much time we take to recognize and reward people for their achievements and efforts.

Conley says: „Connectedness building behaviors are entirely dependent on the leader. This includes issues such as how much information is shared, how frequently we communicate and how much time we take to recognize and reward people for their achievements and efforts.”

This is good for both the individual and the organization

For companies that have successfully developed trust, the business impact of high levels of trust is clearly demonstrated.

At the level of individuals, as leaders we can expect high levels of productivity, efficiency, creativity and team spirit. When trust is strong, employees are more committed to what they do and more willing to invest more energy in achieving organizational goals than in questioning decisions, wondering how they were made, and gossiping about whatever topic is exciting in the community. They go beyond just meeting minimum expectations – which is what it takes to get paid.

And at the organizational level, when trust is high, companies’ profitability, productivity, ability to retain talented people, and customer loyalty levels increase.

Let’s get started today!

For leaders who want to start building trust today, Conley reminds us that trust starts at the individual level: we must first recognize our responsibility and opportunity to have a powerful influence in building trusting relationships with all those we lead.

Conley also suggests building trust one step at a time – focusing on one area at a time.

„Trust can be built through well-defined behaviors. When we say we have a trust problem in a relationship or an entire company, it may at first seem like we’re dealing with a big, hairy monster. But when we break it down into the four specific elements we have outlined above, the problem of trust becomes a more tangible one that we can work on and solve. By assessing the level of trust through the lens of the four areas above, leaders can rediscover the opportunity to build trust with their employees.”