No matter the industry, leaders everywhere desire a culture of honesty. At the same time, followers crave to work in an environment of trust. Why then is this type of culture such a challenge for so many companies?
I don’t think we take this subject seriously enough. Leaders, we must value truth more than anything else! CAUTION: This is easier said than done. When truth presides in an organization, several benefits will result:
- Trust will become more and more evident with the team. Be consistent and give it time. You will need to prove out this behavior with time and reliable actions that walk the talk.
- Less mental clutter for the leaders. It’s mentally tiring to watch your back, second guess agendas, hide mistakes, or find blame. All this is eliminated in a culture that trusts. It’s mentally freeing.
- The team feels the freedom to be transparent. “Hey, I really screwed up,” is music to my ears. Why? Because it means the person feels safe to expose their mistakes, and it allows our energy to be focused on fixing the problem instead of hiding or creating excuses.
- The leader has credibility when he or she speaks. We reap what we sow. If our words and actions align then our credibility stands strong. When our words and actions are not aligned then credibility suffers and this is so difficult to overcome.
Positive forms of trust also show up in a company as:
- Confidence
- Dependability
- Loyalty
- Steadfastness
- Faith
- Synergy
- Sustainability
Negative forms of the absence of trust show up in a company as:
- Suspicion
- Phoniness
- Self-interest
- Gossip/Drama
- Underhandedness
- Temper flare-ups/moodiness
Leaders, tackling the task of creating a culture of trust and honesty is worth the sacrifice.
No comments have been posted yet.