( 819 words = 6.3-minute read)
September Newsletter Recap
# 1 – Become More Agile and Purposeful – your ability to rapidly adapt and change in an agile manner is a game changer, but combined with the power of purpose, you have a multiplier!
# 2 – Lead Others to Manage Polarities – challenge your team & organization to maximize the positives of each pole
# 3 – Increase Your EQ+ – EQ+ (EQ + Curiosity) is the foundation of your ability to lead others successfully.
Hello Leaders! This month’s newsletter is about the three “pillars of trust.” The latest research from Zenger Folkman gives us a new way to think about trust and how to increase it. Trust may be the most crucial characteristic that enables leaders to be perceived as extraordinary. Zenger Folkman studied 360 assessment data from 87,000 leaders to determine that only three things “account for the vast difference in the impact between individuals with high levels of trust and those who are not trusted at all. These three pillars support the foundation of trust, regardless of culture, industry, race, or gender. Trust can be felt, trust can be measured, trust can be built, and trust can be repaired.” Cheers!
Point # 1 – Display Expertise and Good Judgment
The first pillar is about how well-informed and knowledgeable a leader is. It refers to the technical aspects of the work and their depth of experience. More specifically, it means:
- Your ideas and opinions are trusted
- Using good judgment
- Your knowledge and expertise contribute to the results
- Anticipating and responding quickly to problems
When your technical knowledge and judgment are trusted, it reduces anxiety and creates a sense of hope. More than ever, young professionals are placing their trust in those they can learn from. In many cases, they do not feel confident because it is apparent they do not have the experience they wished they had. They end up putting a large amount of trust in your experience and the hope that they will be able to learn from you. Great leaders regularly share their expertise and knowledge without making others feel ‘not good enough.’
Ask Yourself: “How do I display expertise and good judgment?”
Point # 2 – Demonstrate Consistency
The second pillar is not only about being consistent but demonstrating it. In other words, it is whether you “walk your talk” and do what you say you will do. When you do this well, you improve your overall effectiveness and increase other’s effort and productivity. You will be rated high in trust if you:
- Are a role model and set a good example
- Honor commitments and keep promises
- Follow through on commitments
- Are willing to go above and beyond what needs to be done
The definition of trust that I used to rely on was simply doing what you said you would do. Sounds easy, but it’s not when you have 6-8 meetings, 200+ emails, and text messages a day. Making promises carefully so as not to put yourself in a potential situation where you might not be able to follow through is an important tactic. Promises are one of the five speech acts and generate a large degree of trust because they are what people have become accustomed to when working with leaders.
“People don’t expect you to be perfect, but they do expect you to be consistent.” Joe Folkman
Ask Yourself: What do I do that demonstrates consistency?
Point # 3 – Build Relationships
Most people know that good relationships are developed with sincerity and boundaries. To instill trust, Zenger Folkman suggests that a leader must:
- Stay in touch with the issues and concerns of others
- Balance results with the concerns of others
- Generate cooperation between others
- Resolve conflict with others
- Give honest feedback in a helpful way
Zenger Folkman’s research suggests that to build trust, you need to be above average in all three pillars. However, the one pillar that is most important is Building Relationships. “Relationships have the most substantial impact.” Perhaps this is not surprising to you. The primary responsibility of a leader is to deliver the results the organization has tasked them with. Quite frequently, your team does most of the work to create those results and they won’t do it well unless they trust and respect you. To be trusted and respected, you must convey that you care about others. The best way to authentically demonstrate that you put others first and authentically care about them is through a great working relationship.
Ask Yourself: How much effort do I put into building relationships?
What about if you have broken trust? Can you regain it? Another Zenger Folkman study showed that leaders who are perceived to be poor at all three pillars can improve. Each of the leaders who had a fatal flaw (measured by a 360-degree trust assessment), got dramatically better in twelve months (overall, the group improved from the 6th percentile to the 38th percentile).
Help a leader become more trustworthy: Pass along their name, and I will help them.
Want to Go Deeper?
- Trifecta of Trust by Joe Folkman
- Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey
- Begin with Trust by Francis X. Frei and Anne Morriss – Harvard Business Review 2020
Please forward this newsletter to a friend or colleague. Thank you!