Trust is a fundamental building block of life and business. While the process of building a culture of trust within our organizations might be hard to define, here are two thought-provoking and compelling articles that provide practical examples of how, and why, it can and should be done.
A Secret Weapon?
First, from Conway Management, is “The Secret Weapon,” the story of Kronos’s amazing growth and CEO Aaron Ain’s explanation of how trust is working in action today and about the tools and methods in place to support the practice.
“Unlike a weapon,” the article explains, “…[trust] is constructive rather than destructive; and the only harm it could do a competitor is to leave them behind.”
A summary of “why trust matters” is then presented, followed by an explanation of three specific management behaviors that support effective
deployment of trust:
- Over-communication
- Courage
- Studying results
Read the full article…
How to Manage for Trust
The Harvard Business Review recently published another very good piece entitled, “The Neuroscience of Trust,” in which they share data indicating that people at high-trust companies report:
- 74% less stress
- 106% more energy at work
- 50% higher productivity
- 13% fewer sick days
- 76% more engagement
- 29% more satisfaction with their lives
- 40% less burnout
Beyond this persuasive lists of “why” a culture of trust and a managerial process that promotes it are worthwhile pursuits, the article goes on to list a number of specific steps leaders can take to do so.