blanchard building trust

7/30/2019 Blanchard Building Trust

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The Leadership Difference.®

PERSPECTIV

Building TrustThe Critical Link to a High-Involvement, High-EnergyWorkplace Begins with a Common Language

Trust has taken a hit lately in all acets o our lie. Chalk it up to the combined eects o theeconomic meltdown, fnancial mismanagement, and an increasing sense that, in business atleast, everyone seems to be in it only or themselves. The result has been dwindling levelso trust in organizations. In act, a recent poll by Maritz indicates that only seven percent o workers strongly agree that they trust their senior leaders to look out or their best interest.1

And a survey by MasteryWorks indicated that a lack o trust correlated highly to employeeturnover.

Trust is a primary actor in how people work together, listen to one another, and buildeective relationships. Yet many people are unaware o the actions that inuence trust. Trustis a critical link to all good relationships, both personal and proessional.

Studies show that productivity, income, and profts are positively or negatively impacteddepending on the level o trust in the work environment. Trust can be created or destroyedthrough personal perceptions and behaviors. Trust means dierent things to dierent people.It’s predicated on who we are and how we were raised and is shaped by our experiences andperceptions o other’s behavior.

Rebuilding trust has become a top priority or companies that are looking to break out o thenegativity that has become pervasive in many organizations. A sel-centered, “What’s in it orme” attitude robs an organization o the best that employees have to oer. When employeesperceive that an organization—or its leaders—are less than orthcoming, employees

become unwilling to contribute any discretionary energy or make any commitments to theirorganization’s well-being beyond the absolute minimum.

Lack o trust creates cynicism, doubt, and anxiety that leads to “time o-task” speculationand generally low energy and productivity. When people don’t trust their leaders, theydon’t come toward something; they pull back and withdraw instead. They doubt rather thancooperate.

Oten, the result is that employees will stay with the organization and do their job becausethey need a paycheck, but not much more. It becomes purely a transactional relationshipwith employees asking themselves, “I the organization does not do right by me, why shouldI do right by them?” Sometimes employees will even leave an organization where trust islacking. Blanchard’s research with more than 1,000 leaders reinorces this point. Fity-nine

percent o respondents indicated they had let an organization due to trust issues, citing lacko communication and dishonesty as key contributing actors.

The High Cost

of Low Trust

• Low morale

• Lower productivity

• People “quit but stay”

• Increased turnover

The Four Elements

of Trust

• Able

• Believable

• Connected

• Dependable

1. Managing in an Era of Mistrust: Maritz Poll Reveals Employees Lack Trust in Their Workplace. Available online at:http://www.maritz.com/Press-Releases/2010/Maritz-Poll-Reveals-Employees-Lack-Trust-in-their-Workplace.aspx?pdf=1



MK0709 080510 Building Trust © 2010 The Ken Blanchard Companies. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate. 2

Fifty-nine percent of

individuals indicated

they had left an

organization due totrust issues citing lack

of communication

and dishonesty as key

contributing factors.2

The Four Elements of Trust

There are our key elements that leaders need to be aware o when they are looking at building or restoring trust with the people they lead. The our elements are are Able,Believable, Connected, and Dependable—the TrustWorks! ABCD Trust Model. By using the

TrustWorks! ABCD Trust Model, individuals can create action plans to increase the level o trust in relationships or repair damaged relationships where trust has been broken.

1. Ableisaboutdemonstratingcompetence. Do the leaders know how to getthe job done? Are they able to produce results? Do they have the skills to make thingshappen—including knowing the organization and equipping people with the resourcesand inormation they need to get their job done?

2. Believablemeansactingwithintegrity. Leaders have to be honest in theirdealings with people. In practical terms, this means creating and ollowing air processes.People need to eel that they are being treated equitably. It doesn’t necessarily meanthat everyone has to be treated the same way in all circumstances, but it does meanthat people are being treated appropriately and justly based on their own unique

circumstances. Believability is also about acting in a consistent, values-driven manner thatreassures employees that they can rely on their leaders.

3. Connectedisaboutdemonstratingcareandconcernforotherpeople.It means ocusing on people and identiying their needs. It is supported by goodcommunication skills. Leaders need to openly share inormation about the organizationand about themselves. This allows the leader to be seen as more o a real person thata direct report can identiy with. When people share a little bit o inormation about

themselves, it creates a sense o connection.

4. Dependableisaboutreliablyfollowingthroughonwhattheleaderssaythattheyaregoingtodo.It means being accountable or their actions and beingresponsive to the needs o others. I leaders promise something, they must ollowthrough. It also requires being organized and predictable so that people can see that the

leaders have things in order and are able to ollow through on their promises.

The Leadership Challenge

When people believe that they are working or trustworthy leaders, they are willing toinvest their time and talents in making a dierence in an organization. People who eel moreconnected will invest more o themselves in their work. High trust levels lead to a greatersense o sel responsibility, greater interpersonal insight, and more collective action towardachieving common goals.

Trustworthy leaders are rewarded by employees who stretch, push their limits, andvolunteer to go above and beyond. When leaders create a high trust environment that isconsistent over time, collaboration increases and organizations leap orward.

For leaders looking to turn things around in their organization, Blanchard recommendsthat leaders take a hard look in the mirror and examine their own behaviors. Are they beingtrustworthy? Is there transparency and honesty with people at all levels o the organization?

2. Blanchard research conducted with more than 1,000 leaders and practitioners.




Leaders must think about the our core elements represented in the TrustWorks! ABCD TrustModel and how people in their organization would rate them in these our areas. I they fndthemselves lacking in a particular area, they need to tackle this head-on. In addition, leadersneed to take the time to assess current trust levels in their organizations and i they fnd trust

is lacking, immediately begin a process to resolve the issues.The key is to exhibit the trust-building behaviors that people look or in their leaders. This is

critical, because people need to see trust in action more than they need to hear about it.

The “Transparency” Challenge

Everyone agrees that leaders should be open and candid in sharing inormation. But knowingthis and acting upon it can be two dierent things. The challenge with transparency is toidentiy the behaviors that clearly defne the concept. It’s important to remember that trustis in the eyes o the beholder. What does transparency mean in your organization? Shouldemployees be getting all o the inormation? Who should be included in meetings? And i youhave been a very tight-lipped organization in the past, you are going to have to be open andcandid about what you are going to do to become more ‘transparent’ in that transition beorepeople are really going to trust the new behaviors.

For leaders looking to be more upront and authentic, three behaviors will help them to getstarted.

1. Beaccessible. As a leader, particularly during tumultuous times, it’s important to beout in ront o the organization sharing plans or the uture. Don’t hide behind closeddoors or delegate the important task o communicating to others. As a leader, employeeslook to you or inormation on what’s going on. That means you have to be very clearabout what the plan is. “What are we going to do?”, “When does it start?”, and “How doeit get implemented?” are all questions that will have to be answered.

2. Acknowledgethatpeoplehaveconcerns. Once you’ve communicated the vision

or the organization, you also need to take the time to listen or concerns and anxietiesthat people might have. Create opportunities or dialogue. This doesn’t mean coddlingpeople, but it does mean making sure that you are listening.

3. Followthrough. I you don’t know the answer to a question immediately and say thatyou will get back to the employee, make sure that you do so in the promised amount o time. Keeping your word on small things demonstrates dependability and reliability thatpeople can count on when it comes to big things. It builds credibility that you, the leaderwill continue to do what you say you will.

Trust Busters

• Lack o communication

• Dishonesty

• Breaking confdentiality

• Taking credit or others’ work

Trust Builders

• Give Credit

• Listen• Set Clear Goals

• Be Honest

• Follow Through

Building

Leadership Transparency

• Be accessible

• Acknowledge people’s concerns

• Follow through

Leader BehaviorsThat Build

Transparancy

and Trust

High

Involvement

Two-wayFeedback

Disclosure

Transparency




The Ripple Effect

Leaders demonstrating trustworthy behaviors set an example or others to ollow. Employeeswho experience this concern or their well-being have an example o how they should be treatingothers. This creates a ripple eect o trust throughout the organization.

One additional beneft o taking the time to defne trust in behavioral terms, such as withinthe TrustWorks! ABCD Trust Model components, is that it allows everyone to talk about thispotentially sensitive subject openly. Now, instead o pointing out people as “untrustworthy,” wecan point to the behaviors that are leading to this conclusion instead.

People need to understand how to communicate about the issues o trust, and the only way todo that is by understanding what trust means to each o us individually. That’s where having acommon language, e.g., the ABCDs o Trust, can help.

Great leaders personiy trust. Knowing the behaviors that generate trustworthy eelings in otherscan help leaders crack that code to building trust. Once they do, they can begin to make surethat they are acting in ways consistent with trustworthiness. The result is an organization wherepeople assume the best o each other, which, in turn, creates a more trusting atmosphere andultimately greater perormance and satisaction at work.

Eight Things Your Organization Can Do to Improve Trust

If your organizaon is looking for ways to evaluate the level of trust currently present

in your organizaon, or is thinking about how to enhance the trust between people in

your company, here are eight places to begin.

1. Demonstrating Trust —I you want to create a trusting work environment, you have to begin by demonstrating trust. Establishing rules, policies, and procedures to protect againsta ew bad apples sends the wrong message to the vast majority o people in your organizationwho need and deserve to be trusted.

2. Sharing Information —Inormation is power. One o the best ways to build a sense o trust in people is by sharing inormation. Sharing inormation sometimes means disclosinginormation that is considered privileged, including sensitive and important topics suchas the competition’s activities, uture business plans and strategies, fnancial data, industryissues or problem areas, competitor’s best practices, the way group activities contributeto organizational goals, and perormance eedback. Providing people with more completeinormation communicates trust and a sense o “we’re in this together.” It helps people thinkmore broadly about the organization and the inter-relationships o various groups, resources,and goals.

3. Telling It Straight —Study ater study has indicated that the number one quality that peoplewant in a leader is integrity. People want to ollow someone they trust. Business leaders who

tell it straight, who are open and honest even about bad news, develop the trust essential orstrong, long-term relationships—inside and outside the company.

4. Providing Opportunities for Everyone to Win —Do you want your people to worktogether or to compete against each other? When people within an organization are orced tocompete against one another, you lose everyone’s trust. Now all people are concerned aboutis looking out or number one.




5. Providing Feedback —Make sure leaders schedule and hold regular progress-checkmeetings with their direct reports. This will allow managers to catch problems beorethey become major issues and signifcantly increase the chances that a direct report’sperormance will meet expectations when it’s time or their perormance review.

6. Resolving Concerns Head On —Resolve concerns head on by putting challenges on thetable and giving people an opportunity to inuence the process. When leaders expandpeople’s involvement and inuence, there is more buy-in because people are less likely toeel they are being controlled. This builds trust and increases the credibility o the leader.

7. Admitting Mistakes —An apology can be an eective way to correct a mistake andrestore the trust needed or a good relationship. But in many organizations,employeesand managers are conditioned to hide mistakes because it’s not acceptable to make them.And that leads to bigger problems. Leaders who admit mistakes when they are wrong arenot seen as weak—they are seen as having integrity and being trustworthy.

8. Walking the Talk —A leader, above all, has to be a walking example o the vision

and values o the organization. The key to leadership is being able to develop atrusting relationship with others. Without trust, it is impossible or an organizationto unction eectively. Trust between leaders and the people they lead is essential orworking together. I leaders say one thing and do another, people will question theirtrustworthiness.

Conclusion

Trust in both personal and proessional relationships is delicate. Trust must be treated asprecious, highly valued, and a treasured organizational trait. It must be viewed as i it were anegg that when treated roughly could shatter.

Building trust is the oundation o all solid and healthy relationships and actions can speakmore loudly than words. Trust can take a long time to build, but at the same time can bedestroyed by a single action or misconception.

Trust is an extremely important commodity to any relationship, personally ororganizationally. The good news is that i trust has been broken, your proessional or personalrelationship can recover. It takes hard work to build trust, especially ater it has been betrayed, but it can be done. By being aware and using the TrustWorks! ABCD Trust Modeland using the guidelines presented in this paper, organizations and individuals can watch orsigns that trust is eroding, analyze where the breakdowns are occurring, and work to rebuildhigh levels o trust.




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Ab out The Ke n Blanch ard

Companies ®

The Ken Blanchard Companies® is one

of the world’s leading training and

development experts. We create lasting

behavioral change that has measurable

impact on the organizations we work

with. We provide training that makes adifference.

Our programs are based on behavioral

models that add a situational context to the

training experience, so individuals learn to

be more productive in real-world scenarios

and make the shift from learning to doing

more quickly and effectively.

As the innovator of the most widely used

leadership development system in the

world, Situational Leadership® II, we

provide groundbreaking thinking and

a memorable learner experience. We

begin with a collaborative diagnostic

process identifying your unique needs

and business issues, then develop an

appropriate leadership strategy.

To learn more, visit

www.kenblanchard.com.

blanchard building trust

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