Fostering trust
Trust and certainty are intricately linked, with uncertainty often undermining trust. And what do most humans garner certainty from - previous, consistent experiences. People naturally crave certainty as an indicator of safety and stability in their environment. When faced with ambiguity, individuals can find it challenging to trust others or the situation at hand. Certainty provides a sense of reassurance and predictability, allowing individuals to feel secure in their relationships and decisions. Without a foundational level of certainty, trust can falter, leading to hesitancy and doubt. It is through establishing clear expectations and reliable outcomes that trust can flourish, creating a solid foundation for successful interactions and partnerships.
Expectations play a crucial role in shaping the dynamics of any organisation. When clear and realistic expectations are set, it fosters trust among team members and allows for efficient collaboration.
Trust is the foundation on which successful teams are built. Without trust, effective communication and innovation become challenging. Trust however, is not a linear progression, and can be lost much quicker than its gained, usually because an individual or organisation has acted in conflict with professed values. This can happen inside an organisation:
think of a leader who says they value innovation, but shuts down any alternative ideas, or
an organisation that says the wellbeing of its people are its highest priority, while not addressing ongoing reports of harm
or across an organisation’s ecosystem:
a company that says customer service comes first, but has an understaffed call centre that requires staying on hold for 45 minutes to speak to someone, or
an organisation that professes integrity or ethical behaviour as a value, yet has numerous instances of using its market dominance to take advantage of suppliers by enforcing unfair contract terms.
So, doing what you say - seems pretty straightforward. When stated like this, these examples seem obvious, however these misaligned actions leading to distrust are incredibly common. So how do you stop these situations from arising and get everyone to act aligned? You don’t. Achieving that level of homogeneity in a group or organisation is not possible and diversity is the key to resilience. This raises the question about balancing empowerment with control (which we will deal with in a separate post). The answer to this question is layered and is best considered alongside some imagery. Think about concentric circles:
the individual (and leader) at the centre, who must be reflective and aware of their own behaviours, as well as how their beliefs and mindsets shape their interactions.
the team and how it is seen by itself and others, the perceived roles of each team member and how the leader supports them to activate their potential.
the organisation and its collective of teams and individuals, its relationships with its stakeholders, and how well aligned authority and behaviours are throughout.
the community/ies that the organisation operates within, the role it does and/or should play within that space, and the social contract that exists as a result of espoused commitments.
These layers are deeply interrelated and are part of dynamic, feedback loops that influence relationships throughout the network. Invest some time in speaking with representatives from each layer (including yourself) and asking what they believe matters to each layer, and how they might rate the trust level within and between each layer. Reviewing this feedback holistically will paint an indicative picture of whether trust is being fostered, and where it has broken down requiring repair.