When you look at what is going on in the media regarding politics whether it’s the US and Trump, or UK/EU with Brexit it feels like there is a crisis of leadership.

We seem to be inundated with lies, #fakenews, and ever-changing stories on a daily basis.

Trust in our leaders seems to be at the lowest level in my lifetime.

This made me think about what we need to do to build trust, and to gain the trust of our teams, followers and the people we are looking to lead.

You might be thinking that given where we are, that trust is something that is difficult to establish, maybe even impossible. So I wanted to share three simple tips that can help you to build trust.

• Always Look To Do The Right Thing
• Walk The Talk
• Trust Others

Always Do The Right Thing

This one should be a no brainer if you want to build trust. Doing the right thing shows that you act with integrity and that you can be trusted.
Sometimes it might require you to explain your actions, especially if people question what you are doing. But if you can let them see why you believe what you are doing is the right thing, even if they disagree, it will help them understand better.  Too often leaders do something without explanation which then raises doubts as to why they did what they did, and why they are not prepared to discuss it.

Walk The Talk

You simply cannot say one thing and do another, that just doesn’t work, and it can kill trust in a heart beat. You have to make a commitment and meet commitments, and if anything comes up that will prevent you then you need to be open and up front about it, and explain what you are going to do to address the situation.  I’ve lost count of the number of leaders I have worked with or for who have fallen foul of this simple thing. It’s almost as if they think people don’t see what they are doing.  Let me let you into a little secret. Leaders are under observation all the time, and any time their words and actions deviate from one another it’s seen and shared very quickly.  Leaders have to talk the talk and walk the walk.

Trust Others

This might seem a little counter-intuitive but one of the quickest ways to build trust is to show trust in others. Many time our actions, and beliefs about people are a reflection of ourselves, and if we are not prepared to trust others then this can be seen as a clear signal that we might not be trustworthy.  Whereas trusting others has the opposite effort. When we show trust, it shows respect and it reflects well on us as leaders.  In my experience people who are trusted, love to repay the faith that we show in them, as well as increasing their trust in us.  Now I appreciate that you might be worried that someone might take advantage, but I can say in my experience very few people do that. That’s not to say it has never happened, but it is a rare occurrence and not one that deters me from taking this approach.

If you follow these three simple tips it will help you become a more trusted leader, which will help to increase belief, engagement and commitment from your teams. It will also help you to act as a role model for what good leadership should be.

If you’re looking to improve your performance and would like some support then lets set up a time to see how I can help.   Click here to book an Introductory chat.