10 Effective Ways To Develop Employee Trust During Periods Of Change

Trust is essential in a team, especially in times of change. Leaders need to believe employees will carry out their tasks properly, and employees need to believe their leaders are guiding them in the right direction. But trust between people isn’t a given—it has to be earned.

So how can you effectively build trust within your team during times of uncertainty? We asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council how leaders can earn and keep employees’ trust during a pivotal or critical change in the company. Their best responses are below.

1. Open The Lines Of Communication: Open the lines of communication between leadership teams and employees during pivotal times. Leadership needs to lead by example and show teams that not only will the storm be weathered, but you will also come out stronger with better skills. Examples include studying new updates together as equals, conducting remote summits on growth strategies or having bi-weekly content strategy calls auditing competitor media. Do what you can to be really honest about what your company is going through without placing blame or making employees panic. Pivot points require honesty and calm communication. As a leader, you also learn so much about your teams when they react to new information or how your company will change. We are participating in virtual cafecito breaks at 3:05 during this time to boost Miami morale. – Matthew Capala, Alphametic
2. Let Employees Become Leaders: It’s important for leaders in a company to allow their employees to become leaders too—not just during turning points or pivotal moments in a company. It’s something that needs to be ingrained in the company’s corporate culture. There’s always this magical sense of separation between leaders and employees. If leaders work to break those boundaries and they can show that they understand someday somebody will replace them, it just gives everyone in the organization hope that they can lead too! It’s also a healthy approach for the leadership because they get to give employees a new sense of responsibility and they become personally invested in the success of the company, which is what ultimately everybody should want regardless of whether they are a leader or an entry-level employee. – Amine Rahal, Little Dragon Media
3. Demonstrate Honor And Kindness In Your Daily Actions: Trust is earned over time, and the best way to earn trust is to continue to prove you are trustworthy. Little daily actions such as giving in to gossip or revealing any type of secret display an untrustworthy persona. Doing your best to be honorable and kind in all your daily actions and interactions will help you be a person to be trusted. Give out respect to those around you and conduct yourself in a way that would make your grandmother proud. – Darby Cox, Darby Cox LLC
4. Show Them Who You Are, Not What Your Title Is: Let your teams know that you are a person first and a supervisor second. Focus on the shared humanity between you and look for opportunities to serve your teams. For example, during the pandemic, I am offering free lunches to limit outside exposure and to support local restaurants. We also offer free bottles of elderberry gummies to all employees to boost their immune system as part of the stay healthy movement. Especially during a time of crisis or change, showing your employees that you care and have their best interests at heart helps build unity and trust and encourages sincere collaboration. Showing them who you are rather than throwing around a title or empty numbers naturally motivates them to perform to their best ability and to emotionally invest in a company that they care about. – Shu Saito, All Filters
5. Take Genuine Interest In Your Team: When there’s a break in any relationship, it stems from the other person feeling you may not understand them and who they really are. Trust is one of the foundations of relationships. By taking an interest in the lives of your team, they will begin to take an interest in you and trust you more. Ask your team questions about who they are, what their goals are and how you can help them obtain them. When your team feels appreciated and like you understand them on a deeper level, you’ve garnered that trust. – Klyn Elsbury, MK Foundation
6. Share Your Values And Goals: An environment where employees are driven and committed toward goals is key to any success. A positive work environment is based on trust. Organizations that have the most trust among employees and managers, especially during these tough times, are more likely to succeed. An employee who trusts the company and their boss is far more likely to follow through on goals, values and deadlines. In any workplace, trust is earned through commitment and a shared set of values. Set values by turning your personal values into corporate values, and employees should know that you stand by those values. Preach what you practice and teach what you preach. Remember, once your employee’s trust is lost, it’s lost forever. – Kelly Richardson, Infobrandz
7. Use Emotional Intelligence When Speaking To Employees: Talking about fears and emotions can be a great way for company leaders to foster trust with employees. We’re so used to focusing on bigger picture items, which is important, but in times of change or uncertainty, everyone is overwhelmed by emotion. Leaders should lean into that and bring more emotion to their communications. Employees will appreciate hearing that leaders are feeling the same way. At the same time, leaders must be careful of not veering into overly emotional communications, which can have the opposite effect. We must pay attention to the emotional clues around us and communicate with the right amount of empathy and sympathy. It’s a tough balance to achieve, but if you can do it, employees will trust you more and be more engaged as a workforce. – Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
8. Address Mistakes Upfront: During a transition, it is natural that mistakes may come up. Instead of brushing these aside, be sure to address them head-on and communicate transparently throughout the process. When you walk into a room saying this is what happened and this is how we plan to fix it, you display that you have nothing to hide. This will help build the trust that when issues do arise—and they will—employees will know about them. – Matthew Podolsky, Florida Law Advisers, P.A.
9. Be There When They Need You: Your employees need to feel like you have their back. It’s challenging to build trust between leadership teams and employees during these times, but it’s possible. I think it’s a good idea to talk to your employees and be there if they need you for something. Don’t be afraid to ask if there is anything you can do to improve their workflow. Chances are, these encounters will lead to productive conversations while building rapport with your team. – John Turner, SeedProd LLC.
10. Be A Role Model: Building trust takes time. It’s not something you earn in a week, and certainly not in the period of crisis. You have to think about a pivotal point in your company long before it’s even on the horizon, and the best way to gain employees’ trust is by making it a part of the company culture. Treat your team members like you want to be treated and show them a model of behavior in difficult situations that they could copy. For example, if your goal is to develop trust, delegate important tasks to your team and give them the power to make independent decisions without them having to check in with you. At the same time, be transparent and super honest at all times. If things go wrong, look for the solution first, not for the one who messed it up. – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS.

Forbes

June 05, 2020