Leadership Building trust in Leadership
Which is more important for leaders – what we say, or what we do?
We’ve probably all been in situations where someone’s actions didn’t match their words, and it left us disappointed and disillusioned. The truth is that people will trust what you do much more than what you say you’re going to do.
Ideal communication is characterized by leaders whose actions match their words. Even better yet – “talk the walk” – have your actions precede your words. That’s what leads to trust and credibility.
But what do you do when you don’t have answers to your employees’ questions? Good leaders acknowledge what they know and don’t know, and remind employees of their reluctance to speculate. While they tell employees they may not have all the answers, they commit to keeping them informed as information becomes available.
Tried-and-true strategies
Here are some other tried-and-true strategies that will help build lasting trust in your leadership. Advise leaders to:
- Be approachable and friendly (people trust leaders they like).
- Balance the need for results with being considerate of others and their feelings.
- Instead of using your position of power, work hard to win people over.
- Ensure your words and your actions match.
- Really listen and check for understanding by paraphrasing what you’re hearing.
- Show support for your team members, even when mistakes are made.
- Be honest and tell the truth; telling people what you think they want to hear erodes trust.
Remember, when people trust you, your ability to persuade them is increased ten-fold.
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