The Speed of Trust - Page 5
When you’re prepared to set things right, you demonstrate humility and courage in action. You also signal to others they don’t need to cover up their mistakes. That can create a company culture which directly and beneficially has an impact on your organization’s bottom line. “To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice.” – Confucius
8 Confront reality
13 Behaviors
If you’re the person who addresses the tough issues and acknowledges what is unsaid, people will automatically trust you more. Be courageous in your conversations. Don’t skirt the real issues but dive into them directly and openly. Doing this consistently builds confidence in your abilities because others will see you don’t bury your head in the sand. Never be afraid to deliver bad news. People will respect your willingness to confront the realities of uncomfortable facts. “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they may be.” – U.S. Admiral James Stockdale “Leaders need to be more candid with those they purport to lead. Sharing good news is easy. When it comes to the more troublesome negative news, be candid and take responsibility. Don’t withhold unpleasant possibilities and don’t pass off bad news to subordinates to deliver. Level with employees about problems in a timely fashion.” – Jon Huntsman, chairman, Huntsman Chemical
5 Show loyalty
13 Behaviors
Always give credit where it is due and acknowledge the input and contributions of others. Speak about people as if they were present at all times and avoid criticizing. That helps everyone feel confident their own contributions will be respected irrespective of what the future holds. If you ever feel a need to bad-mouth someone, have the courage to go to them and discuss your concerns openly and candidly. Above all, never disclose private information others have entrusted you with. Be loyal. “You can accomplish anything in life provided you don’t mind who gets the credit.” – Harry S. Truman
6 Deliver results
13 Behaviors
9 State expectations
13 Behaviors
Establish a track record of getting the right things done. Be proactive in making things happen rather than letting everything move along with its own momentum. Do what you were hired to do. This will require clarifying your objectives up front and then coming in within budget and on time. The only practical way you’ll do this consistently is if you avoid overpromising and under delivering. Be known as someone who gets things done. “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “Future leaders will be less concerned with saying what they will deliver and more concerned with delivering what they have said they would.” – Dave Ulrich, professor and author
Always discuss your expectations so they are clearly defined. It’s very easy for two people to be discussing the same outcome and to come away with entirely different versions of what is required. Avoid this by forming a clear agreement on what is realistic and then validating your intermediate results to ensure there is still common understanding and alignment. If you need to renegotiate your outputs, do that earlier rather than later. Then move heaven and earth to meet expectations. The best time to disappoint someone is right at the outset of the arrangement when deadlines are discussed, not later on when loads of other follow-on events are waiting for the trigger event to get started.
“Almost all conflict is a result of violated expectations.” – Blaine Lee, author, The Power Principle
10 Be accountable
13 Behaviors
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13 Behaviors
Get better
To be trusted, accept that the buck stops with you. Hold yourself just as accountable as you want to hold others. Take personal responsibility for everything that goes on – the good, the bad and the just plain ugly. The only way to do this is by being clear on how you will communicate with others how things are going. Create agreements with others which have set reporting requirements and then follow through. Don’t try and offset personal responsibilities, blame others or even point fingers when things go wrong. Square your shoulders, take a deep breath and then say, “I am responsible for that”. “A good leader takes more than their fair share of the blame and gives more than their share of credit.” – Arnold Glasnow “All power is a trust; and we are accountable for its exercise.” – Benjamin Disraeli
Keep upping your game by increasing your personal capabilities. The only way you’ll do that is by continuing to learn more. Develop some formal and informal feedback systems which will let you know how you’re going at this. Always act on the feedback you receive. Don’t consider that your current levels of skill and knowledge will be sufficient for tomorrow’s challenges. It’s smart to always keep learning more. “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler, futurist “You learn nothing from your successes except to think too much of yourself. It is from failure that all growth comes, provided you can recognize it, admit it, learn from it, rise above it, and then try again.” – Dee Hock, founder and former CEO, Visa International
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