I ask this question at almost all of my leadership seminars.
Inevitably some deep thinker in the audience provides an answer along the lines of “those interactions that discuss your mission, vision, guiding principles are the most impactful”. Others will chime in with “interactions during business meetings”. Rarely, someone will recognize the importance of the “after hours/social event interactions”. These answers are all correct.
If I need to prod the audience to start the dialogue, I use the well-worn tactic that most teachers and facilitators have used for many years – I say that that there are no wrong answers to my question. In this case, that statement happens to be absolutely true!
Which interactions between the leader and follower impact trust?
The answer is simple – all interactions impacts trust.
Undeniably some interactions will impact trust more than others. For example, the casual and quick hallway “meeting” with the boss – you pass the boss in the hallway…she smiles, makes solid eye contact with you and joyfully states “Good morning!” While that interaction will not by itself increase trust to a significant degree, it will certainly move trust in the right direction.
Let’s assume the boss greets you as described above for 3 straight mornings – Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. However, on Thursday morning she walks by you with her head down reading her phone…quickly looks at you…and goes right back to reading her phone. No smile. No greeting. How will that quick interaction impact trust? I think we’d all agree – not in a good way.
Other interactions will have more significant impacts on trust.
One very significant type of interaction that I often bring up at my seminars is how the leader reacts to bad news. [I’ll talk more about “reacting to bad news” in my April blog – don’t miss it!] As leaders, we all know the bad news is coming – it’s not a matter of if, but when. As much as we hate bad news, the truth is these are huge opportunities to build trust. Maintain your composure, you’ll gain trust. React with anger, you’ll lose trust.
All interaction impact trust.
Think about the power of this statement! A leader has literally hundreds of interactions with followers each and every day…and hundreds of opportunities to incrementally build trust. Unfortunately the opposite is equally true. Each day the leader’s behaviors during these interactions – on a second by second basis – can erode trust.
The truly great leaders understand that they are always on the big stage and constantly being scrutinized – they are fully aware that all interactions impact trust. They fully understand, respect and embrace this maxim. They see these hundreds of daily interactions for what they truly are – golden opportunities to build trust.
On your leadership journey over the next couple of weeks, be a great leader and find these opportunities. And don’t forget….enjoy the journey!
Mark
Dr. Mark Brouker
Captain (Retired), United States Navy
Founder and President
Brouker Leadership Solutions