Do People Trust You?
6 October 2008
Read by 2141 persons
American surveys show that many employees don't trust their manager or team leader. They trust their colleagues, like their work, but don't think their leaders make the best decisions.
Two questions worth considering
Is it very important that people trust you?
How do you know if people trust you or not?
The answer to the first question is rather easy. YES, it is very important. The two reasons why it's important are linked: performance and profit.
Their Performance
Your employees won't give their best if they don't trust you. If they don't think you're making the right decisions, or that you're making them with them in mind, they'll think they have to do everything themselves. All the time they spend thinking about it or working on it is less work time, which reduces the quality of work and creativity. As a good leader, you can try to raise the level of performance, but you won't get very far without the trust of your colleagues.
Your Performance
Your team's performance impacts yours. The whole idea of leadership is to get things done through others. If you can't get the most out of them, how will you justify to your superior that you are a good team leader?
If people don't trust you, chances are you don't really trust them either. You may then waste precious time controlling their performance.
Profit
The lack of trust between employees and their managers therefore leads to significant time losses. You can make a rough estimate of these losses, but the most significant loss is incalculable: it's the loss of creativity and inventiveness. Profit is obtained not by doing a job well, but by doing it better. It doesn't matter if it's constant or in fits and starts: the important thing is that it happens. Your competitors will find new methods, cheaper and easier. If you lag behind, you will quickly lose customers and then money.
Question 2
The second question is more difficult to answer. But here are a few suggestions:
Ask them:
One of the simplest ways to find out if your team trusts you is to ask them directly. There will be at least one member of the group who trusts you. Don't ask them how they feel, but ask them how the team feels. Focus on overall impressions rather than individual comments.
Listen to them:
If one of your employees asks you a question, really listen. You have to read between the lines: if someone starts telling you something and stops halfway, it's because they don't trust you.
Be less formal:
Get out of your office. Managing a team by circulating in the offices really works. People will approach you more easily on their own territory.
Moreover, you will have the opportunity to discover more there than in the reports that land on your desk. By circulating among the employees, you will become a person, and will no longer be just "the boss". And it's easier to suspect a distant "boss" than a person.
Posted May 21, 2008
references.be
Two questions worth considering
Is it very important that people trust you?
How do you know if people trust you or not?
The answer to the first question is rather easy. YES, it is very important. The two reasons why it's important are linked: performance and profit.
Their Performance
Your employees won't give their best if they don't trust you. If they don't think you're making the right decisions, or that you're making them with them in mind, they'll think they have to do everything themselves. All the time they spend thinking about it or working on it is less work time, which reduces the quality of work and creativity. As a good leader, you can try to raise the level of performance, but you won't get very far without the trust of your colleagues.
Your Performance
Your team's performance impacts yours. The whole idea of leadership is to get things done through others. If you can't get the most out of them, how will you justify to your superior that you are a good team leader?
If people don't trust you, chances are you don't really trust them either. You may then waste precious time controlling their performance.
Profit
The lack of trust between employees and their managers therefore leads to significant time losses. You can make a rough estimate of these losses, but the most significant loss is incalculable: it's the loss of creativity and inventiveness. Profit is obtained not by doing a job well, but by doing it better. It doesn't matter if it's constant or in fits and starts: the important thing is that it happens. Your competitors will find new methods, cheaper and easier. If you lag behind, you will quickly lose customers and then money.
Question 2
The second question is more difficult to answer. But here are a few suggestions:
Ask them:
One of the simplest ways to find out if your team trusts you is to ask them directly. There will be at least one member of the group who trusts you. Don't ask them how they feel, but ask them how the team feels. Focus on overall impressions rather than individual comments.
Listen to them:
If one of your employees asks you a question, really listen. You have to read between the lines: if someone starts telling you something and stops halfway, it's because they don't trust you.
Be less formal:
Get out of your office. Managing a team by circulating in the offices really works. People will approach you more easily on their own territory.
Moreover, you will have the opportunity to discover more there than in the reports that land on your desk. By circulating among the employees, you will become a person, and will no longer be just "the boss". And it's easier to suspect a distant "boss" than a person.
Posted May 21, 2008
references.be
