We all know how important trust is in building strong relationships with customers and in our personal lives, but how often do we really consider the role of trust within the workplace?
Research indicates not enough! Harvard Business Review conducted a survey that revealed 58% of people would trust a stranger more than they would their boss.
What is trust?
Trust is a mutual bond that requires reciprocal investment from both parties. Paul Zak, author of Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High Trust Companies conducted a study that found we produce a bonding hormone called oxytocin when someone trusts us. The presence of this hormone in our body also makes us act in a more trustworthy fashion towards others. In short, if someone does right by you, it encourages you to do right by them.How does that work?
It’s sometimes easier to think about the reverse scenario. For example, imagine walking into a store where the security guard follows you around from a distance, how would it make you feel about wanting to shop there? Would you still do the right thing if the cashier then undercharged you, or if you saw the guard drop their keys at the bus stop later? Hopefully you get the idea.The anatomy of trust
- Benevolence – how much you have other people’s interests at heart
- Integrity – how congruent your words and actions are
- Ability – how competent you are
Consistency is the additional ingredient that reinforces the weight of each factor.
Snow makes the case that in professional settings we focus a lot of attention on building a reputation of competence, but rarely even consider whether we come across as a good person – which is a far stronger predictor of whether others will trust us.
Do you trust your team?
So thinking about the above points, do you trust your team? Do you think they trust you? If not, what is holding you back? Have you encountered legitimate issues or are you more fearful of what could go wrong if you gave too much freedom? If you do trust them, are you behaving accordingly or are you still following your employees round like the security guard?What to read next?
In our next two blog posts we further explore the topic of trust, including some of the common habits that undermine trust and some tips for how you adopt to improve trust.
If any of this has been of interest and you would like further information on how this can be used to further your own development, or that of your colleagues, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
