Trust is essential to any healthy relationship. Warren Buffet once compared trust to the air we breathe. “If it’s there,” he said, “nobody really notices it. But if it’s not there, everyone notices.”
In a working relationship, it is up to you as a leader to take the first step to increase trust. This often comes as a surprise to many leaders, who assume that they are automatically trusted by others because of their position or title. In fact, the opposite may be true. Because you have more positional power, people may be wary of you. That is why it is so important that leaders first radiate confidence.
What it looks like to radiate confidence to your people
One of my favorite stories about putting trust in your people comes from Horst Schultze, one of the founders of the Ritz-Carlton Hotels. After extensive training, Horst employees were given a $2,000 discretionary fund that they could use to resolve a problem without contacting anyone. That’s increasing trust!
One day, a businessman staying at one of the Ritz-Carlton properties in Atlanta had to fly to Hawaii because he was making an important speech for his international company the next day at 1 p.m. He was a bit disorganized when he left. On the way to the airport, he discovered that he had left behind his laptop, which contained all the PowerPoints he needed for his presentation. He tried to change his flights, but it didn’t work. So he called the Ritz-Carlton and said, “This is the room I was in, and this is where my computer was. Have the cleaning service pick it up and bring it over to me. They need to guarantee delivery tomorrow morning at ten o’clock because I need it for my one o’clock speech.”
The next day, Horst walked around the hotel, as he often does. When he came to the household, he said, “Where is Mary?” Her colleagues said, “She’s in Hawaii.” He said, “Hawaii? What is she doing there?”
He was told: “A guest left his computer in his room that he needed for a speech today at one o’clock – and Mary doesn’t trust overnight couriers.” Now you might think that Mary went on vacation, but she came back on the next plane. And what awaited her, do you think? A letter of compliments from Horst and high fives at the hotel.
Use discretion and then take a risk
I’m not suggesting that leaders should blindly trust everyone. That would be foolish. Leaders must assess an individual’s trustworthiness before exuding confidence. For example, Mary, the Ritz-Carlton employee, was trustworthy because she had completed her training and orientation and was known to be trustworthy.
Think of a risky situation you face where you might be hesitant to trust someone.
- What about the person or situation gives you the confidence to expand your trust?
- What gives you cause for concern?
- How can you increase trust while addressing your concerns?
The next step is to take the risk to increase trust. You don’t need trust when nothing is in danger. That’s called certainty, a security, a guarantee. But if there is a risk – if there is a chance that you will get burned if you extend your trust to someone else – then you need to increase the trust.
Trust does not happen by accident. In order to develop trust in a relationship, one party must make the decision to extend trust in the hope that it will be reciprocated. Ernest Hemingway summed this up simply but eloquently when he said, “The way to make people trustworthy is to trust them.” In other words, while you can use discretion, you won’t really know if you can trust someone until you take the first step.
At some point, as a leader you have to take a risk by exuding confidence and transferring responsibility to your followers. First, make sure they are clear about the goal. Make sure they have the right tools, skills and training to do a good job, and then let them do it.
By first radiating confidence, you show respect and create goodwill. Soon your people will begin to emulate your behavior by exuding trust and respect to others. In a workplace where trust is the norm, people collaborate more, produce better results and have more fun.
To learn more about building trust and other powerful leadership practices, pick up a copy of my new book with trust expert Randy Conley, The simple truths of leadership playbook. And participate in a free webinar, Simple truths about leadership: from intention to action on Wednesday, February 21, 7:00 AM PST. Register now https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4444232/962C05294BC6C39A0C1D43B595A0D7AB.
