Trust

Trust takes months or years to build, but can be destroyed in an instant. Trust among the members of the team, between the team members and their manager is very critical for the success of the organization. For successful execution of projects in an organization, emphasis is laid on the tangible metrics like on-time schedule, quality and process compliance. But without a high level of trust in the team - the intangible metric, the organization can fall short of meeting the above mentioned tangible metrics.

When you trust someone – whether it’s your boss, a co-worker – life feels good. When trust levels are high, you feel relaxed and accepted; you can be yourself. When trust levels are low, you feel uncomfortable and on the defensive; you can’t be yourself. Co-workers with high levels of trust enjoy working and tend to be more productive. Lack of trust can cause people to feel angry, hurt, or disappointed with each another. Teams with low levels of trust have trouble working together and reaching agreements.

Lack of trust in the team is like a speed-breaker. It is a counter-productive force that slows down the progress of the team. Being intangible in nature it is not a visible force. When the trust in the team goes missing, the common purpose of the organization is lost. People compete and argue and fail to reach a consensus thereby slowing down the progress. Every decision made gets questioned. The management has to spend more time to convince the team on the decisions it made.Instead of cooperating and collectively addressing the challenges of the projects, the lack of trust causes the organization to spend more time “inward looking” to get the team aligned on the common purpose.

Lack of trust also makes people reactive. Instead of taking proactive measures to help the progress of the project, people wait to be told. People may not come forward and help others in the team. They may not pour their hearts into meeting the objectives of the team. Lack of trust goes beyond the realms of project execution. Left unaddressed, it can become the cause of attrition.

In the book “Speed of Trust” Steven M.R Covey talks about the economics of trust. When the trust goes down, speed will also go down and costs will go up. He gives an example of how peoples' trust in flying within the US went down dramatically after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The robust procedures and system put in place after 9/11, increased safety and trust in flying. But it required the passengers to arrive two to three hours before an international flight. They also had to pay a new 9/11 security tax with every ticket. So, as trust went down, speed also went down and cost went up.

Our first urge when trust breaks down is not to trust the other person again – to “write the person off”. However this is counter-productive and exactly what you shouldn’t do, especially if the relationship is important to you. When trust breaks down, it is important to repair it and that requires three things:

• A willingness and desire to get beyond the problem, breakdown, or misunderstanding.
• A willingness to talk with the other person to resolve the problem
• A willingness to look inside yourself and take responsibility for your past and future actions.

There are many things we can do to build trust. When someone confides in you or shares personal information, keep it confidential. Keep your promises and follow through with commitments. To build trusting relationships,learn to forgive others and move on. Try to let go of old arguments, resentments and issues from the past. Realise that trust is up to you. You are responsible for how much – or how little – people trust you. Build credibility by committing to being truthful and by admitting when you are wrong. Communicate openly and honestly. Talk with the person whom you let down. Don’t wait. The longer you wait to talk about a problem, the bigger the misunderstanding becomes. Don’t be afraid to apologise. Remember, trust takes months or years to build, but can be destroyed in an instant.

“Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people” - Steven R Covey

Happy Reading,
Ram

p.s A short book on “Building Trust” brought out by Ceridian delves into all aspects of trust – why it is important, what happens when trust breaks down and how to build trust. This blog uses parts of the book.