Contrary to popular belief, our approach is that trust is given as compared to earned. On a daily basis we place trust in people we don’t know. We use public transportation, Uber, planes, emergency room services, drive our cars and cross the street. Each of these acts entails trusting someone with our personal well being without any true insights into their state of mind or qualifications. Yet most believe our friends, peers and people we lead must earn our trust. We believe you need to extend the trust you give to strangers to those you know, command, lead or coach! As a college and professional coach I recruited and now draft players. When they arrive I trust unconditionally they will do the things necessary to thrive in our program as a person and a player. As the coach and leader I resource and support my players and provide them with the tools and opportunity to be a success in every aspect of their life.
The leader drives the culture of an organization or team. To insure a positive culture there has to be trust from the top down and from the bottom up. Your actions as a leader are paramount to maintaining the trust of your people, team and organization. Whether you’re a store manager trusting you’re customers and clients or a CEO managing people, in providing a safe and secure environment your building trust and a level of confidence from those you lead.
It only takes someone in a position of leadership to disrespect or devalue one member of their organization or sector of the public to erode the collective trust of their people.
Trust is a 2-way street. Leaders have the responsibility to both give trust to their people while maintaining that which they earn through their actions and interactions. It is a delicate balance that can take years to develop and minutes to breakdown. Driving the culture is one of the most important roles a leader must fulfill. You don’t have to look any further than Starbucks, McDonalds and the Washington Redskins to illustrate this point. Trust is truly a 2 way street.