What do all successful teams – military, sports, corporate – have in common? They trust their leader. How does a leader go about building a foundation of trust?
I was contacted by a colleague recently who had just been promoted into a CEO position of a large organization. While excited about the opportunity, he was appropriately nervous about the enormity of his new job. This was especially true in lieu of the fact that the culture within the C-suite appeared to lack trust. His most urgent issue was to quickly reverse that trend and create trust between himself and his C-suite team. He called me for some advice.
After asking some questions regarding his initial observations, I advised him to have his secretary immediately schedule 30-minute one-on-one appointments with each of his direct reports and other key stake holders.
Whether you’re leading a team of 2 or 2000, take a genuine interest in your people.
He enthusiastically agreed. He then mentioned that he had been thinking along the same lines, and went on to describe what he had intended to discuss during these meetings. Topics included mission, vision, guiding principles, among a host of other business-related items.
I agreed that these were important topics to cover. However, I reminded him of his most urgent issue – building trust. To expedite the trust building process, I suggested he refocus the theme of these meetings away from business. In fact, avoid talking about business altogether. Instead, use these initial meetings to get to know one another.
“Are you sure?”, he asked with obvious uncertainty.
I told him that his sense of urgency to build trust was spot on. His success – the organization’s success – was dependent on trust. The best way for a leader to build a foundation of trust with staff is to simply get to know one another. That is the leader’s sole objective during the initial one-on-one meeting.
Research supports this concept. In one study, the Center for Creative Leadership found that the most important success factor for holding the top three jobs in a large organization was building strong relationships with subordinates.*
Spend time getting to know your people…there is no more effective way to build a foundation of trust.
How should these one-on-one meetings be structured to ensure success? Here are 3 key tips:
- Set the tone for the meeting. Relax and have fun! Explain at the beginning of the meeting that you’re going to get to know one another. Next take a few minutes to tell your story – how did you get to where you are today. Members of your team are interested in your story. Be transparent. Be vulnerable. Be authentic. Also be mindful to not take too much time telling your story. Remember my May 2019 blog – Who’ll tell the boss to stop talking? if you have a 30-minute meeting, take no more than five minutes to tell your story. This is about them telling their story. It’s about them, not you.
- Ask questions like: What do you love to do? How did you get to where you are today? What are your short-term (1-2 year) goals? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What are your dreams and aspirations? What are your expectations of me? Ask about places lived, past jobs, hobbies, challenges. Be sure to ask if you can take some notes – this’ll help you recall a few important items.
- Listen well. Listen very well. Take a genuine interest in what you’re hearing. Don’t get distracted. Be disciplined. Assume you have nothing else to do – you simply need to listen. If you find your mind wandering, course correct. Put your cell phone away, move away from your desktop computer and remove any barriers, i.e. your desk, between the two of you.
How can a leader build of foundation of trust?
Whether you’re leading a team of 2 or 2000, take a genuine interest in your people. Extend the interest beyond work – not only take interest in them as employees, take interest in them as people.
What skill set is required? Time and the ability…the discipline…to listen. Pretty simple. However, don’t let the simplicity of this behavior distract from its enormous power. There is no more effective way for a leader to build a foundation of trust.
Be a great leader and spend time getting to know your people.
*V.I. Sessa and J.J. Taylor, Executive Selection: Strategies for Success (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000)