Leading During a Crisis Part 2: The Role of Trust
by David Snieg
In the summary article on how to lead during a crisis, we explored the major puzzle piece that leaders need to be successful. Three components were summarized (trust, transparency, emotional intelligence) to give an overview of the skills leaders should be equipped with. In this article, we will dive into the first component: Trust.
As our world continues to deal with major social issues and the pandemic is keeping us all at bay, never does there seem to be a more pertinent time to talk about trust.
Trust, as has always been the case, is hard to earn and easy to lose. There is never a worse feeling for a leader than when they lose the trust of their organization and changes must be made. However, if done right, a leader can establish a level of trust that employees will feel as if the leader always the best for everyone in mind.
Building trust starts with relationships. People do not naturally always trust people they do not know or have not interacted with. Even the simplest of interactions such as intentionally saying hello to people or smiling can have a positive influence in building trust. Additionally, taking the extra step of getting to know employees beyond their name and giving them true “face time” (uninterrupted communication, not the app on your phone) can give employees a sense of caring and consideration. It can also give them the feeling that they are truly a person and not just a number in the organization.
With respect to relationship building, a leader looking to be trusted should have knowledge on the inner workings of the organization and its departments. Leaders that do not understand the entire picture of the company and how each piece needs to come together will struggle to build the relationships and will always just be considered just a manager. However, a leader who can see how every piece works together will be able to not only carry on educated conversations with employees, but can also ask the questions that may need to be asked in order to increase productivity, morale and efficiency, which can in turn lead to greater revenue generation. A leader does not know what they do not know so they cannot be afraid to venture into the unknown to learn how everything in an organization can come together.
Perhaps the most important part of developing trust is exercising consistency. You do not need to have the contract of a professional athlete to be looked at as a role model. In fact, many of us do not make that kind of money, yet all of us are honestly viewed as a role model to some person that we may have interacted with. Essentially, a leader cannot be afraid to back up the words they use with their actions. By being consistent in words, actions, and then going above and beyond to follow through, employees will see a leader as someone they can rally behind.
None of this is easy to do as leaders are people as well that face their own personal stresses. So how can a leader accomplish these three parts to build trust within an organization? A simple way to answer it would be to show up. Show up every day, even on your worst day and try to make it your best day. Not only should you make it your best day but make it the best day employees can possibly have. In doing so, you will be able to develop a strong following of employees that will trust you to lead them during the good times and the bad. Once you have earned their trust, you will find in our next step that being transparent will not be as difficult as you thought it was.
David Snieg is an assistant professor at Stritch and is the department chair of the University’s MBA, Master's of Management & Leadership and Sport & Recreation Business programs.
This post is locked to comments.
