A Tryst with Trust: How Trust Matters in The Professional World

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Ernest Hemingway once rightly said: "The way to make people trustworthy is to trust them" While Mr. Hemingway's original statement was in the context of a personal relationship, it very well applies in a professional setting too.

Time and again, it has been proven that a higher job satisfaction rate leads to better performance. To achieve this, companies try to boost morale by giving out perks whenever possible.

Of course, these measures are good for short-term workplace happiness, but they do not have any significant effect on long-term performance. Creating a workplace that feels safe is the only way to achieve sustainable optimal performance.

A high-performing workforce relies on the belief in psychological safety. The knowledge that making and admitting to your mistakes won't result in criticism or other negative outcome leads to a more productive mindset.

It reduces the fear of taking bold decisions and enables your creativity to run free. You feel relaxed with your thoughts and convey your best ideas enthusiastically. This is how innovative ideas are born.

Insider Secret: Our EQ specialist advocates that the quickest and easiest ways to increase your Trust Factor is to reduce your Self-Orientation. Schedule a call if you’d like to tap on her brain for ideas.

Trust and performance are co-dependent.

The human brain is built in a way that working under extreme stress is next to impossible. The fight or flight response doesn’t distinguish if the problem is trivial or extreme. Once the alarm bell rings, it’s chaos for the neurons. So, it is understandable for performance levels to be unreliable in stressful conditions.

In ideal conditions, a hormone known as Oxytocin is released by the brain. This chemical promotes trust, intimacy, and strong relationship amongst peers. When there are high levels of stress-inducing situations in a person’s life, the level of Oxytocin production declines sharply.

With that goes the ability to form bonds and work together as a team. This inevitably leads to increased cynicism, lack of trust, and decreased output quality.

On the other hand, it’s hard to trust when the performance is subpar. So, it is safe to say that trust and performance are co-dependent. But this co-dependency isn’t circular: trust comes first, and then the performance.

“As artists, it's tempting to forget the audience's needs. Too often, we're self-centered and self-indulgent in what we share with the world. We're prideful, only showing what we deem as perfect or what we think our peers will respect.”

~ Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick

There needs to be a high-trust work environment for exemplary results.

So, what does a high-trust environment mean? A workplace where the employees know that they can rely on each other? Yes, but also that leaders of the organization have the team’s back.

When team leaders display their trust, the feeling is returned, along with a sense of accountability and commitment.

The key to trust-building is to understand that the people around you are human, just like you are. They have beliefs and opinions that deserve to be heard, just like yours do.

When that happens, things become simpler. It becomes easier in handling conflicts with a smile on your face and camaraderie in your being and results on your mind.

Making employees feel safe and trusted is not a difficult task.

Like most human emotions, trust does not demand much and gives a lot in turn. For employees to feel safe and trusted in the organization, they need to know that their contributions matter.

Recognition

Leaders who recognize the exceptional aspects of their employees in small and big ways build team members who will go the extra mile. Recognition shows the one being recognized that they are valued and inspires others to put their best foot forward.

Autonomy

Creative freedom can lead to outstanding breakthroughs. Once the basic outline of the task is specified, employees should be allowed to tackle the problem without being micro-managed. Different people try different approaches, and this is what brings about innovation.

Self-Confidence

Being transparent with the workforce goes a long way. In 2015, a study involving 2.5 million manager-led teams was conducted across 195 countries. The conclusive result was that when supervisors had some form of daily communication with employees, their engagement with their work increased. Personal excellence and performance thrive.

When workers are well informed about the state of things, anxiety and uncertainty levels go down.

Regard for Others

Knowing that you are more than your badge number. At work, often people feel that the only thing to do is get the designated tasks done; making friends seems like a waste of time. This is not true.

According to a recent Google study, managers who “express interest in and concern for team members’ success and personal well-being” show better work (both in quality and quantity) than those who do not.

Employees working in high-trust organizations have reported exhibiting 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity rates, and 40% less burnout. 50% of the employees working in such organizations planned to stay with their employer over the next year.

PRO TIP! Clients who design learning journeys for their talent groups, measure behaviors and traits on a day-to-day and when under pressure so they can zero in on areas their talents need the most support. To develop leadership skills, in handling conflicts, to have better conversations, and overall personal excellence.

Camaraderie and excellence walk hand in hand.

Where there is trust, there is a feeling of community. It is in a community that positive emotions thrive. Trust, interest, belief, and motivation expand the mind’s horizons and help us build resourcefulness in all spheres of life.

With these on our side, our ability to make rational and well-calculated decisions improves.

Coupled with a sense of safety, you have a clear path ahead. When employees know they are cared for, they’ll do their best. When they know their team would go the extra mile to help them out, they will do the same.

Leading with trust is the only answer.

Being in charge of a high-trust team does not mean that you should not have high expectations. It does not mean that team members underperform. Instead, it creates a space that brings out the best in everyone leading to a high-performing team.

It is about treating your team members as responsible adults. They know what they are doing- after all, they got hired in the first place on account of their skills. Believe in your team wholeheartedly, and they will give you reasons to strengthen this belief every day!

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Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash