By Daniel Bobinski
The cultural landscape around us is becoming increasingly impersonal and disjointed. We’re seeing an expanded use of automated and impersonal service methods, such as unmanned fast-food locations and self-service grocery checkouts. Many online services provide zero options for talking with a real person, and technologies such as text and email may be efficient, but they remove the human touch. 
As the world becomes more detached and disconnected on a personal level, trust can begin to dissipate. This is not healthy. Because a workplace is actually about working with and serving people, trust needs to be the cornerstone in every business. Trust is fundamental to human relationships, as it forms the basis of our sense of security. It provides depth of meaning in our interactions, and its presence also fosters mutual respect and collaboration.
And yet, with the rise of our increasingly impersonal culture, I predict creating and maintaining workplace trust in the coming years will become increasingly difficult. With that, allow me to review several time-tested actions that build trust.
- Encourage transparency. When individuals, workplace departments or even the various management levels engage in what I call “silo thinking,” barriers are established. Conversely, when people know how their work impacts other people or departments, they can make better decisions to increase quality. Share information. Provide updates. Give feedback. Listen to others with the purpose of genuinely trying to understand. Done with honesty and integrity, such actions are great for building trust.
- Demonstrate empathy. The saying, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” is commonly attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. Some debate exists about the exact origin of the saying, but the meaning holds true. Empathy and compassion are key components for having a genuine concern for others. Therefore, developing and expressing a sincere interest in the ideas and interests of your coworkers and clients are meaningful actions for building and maintaining trust.
- Be supportive. Being supportive goes beyond demonstrating empathy. Whereas having empathy and compassion help people feel valued, this aspect moves into looking for ways to serve others actively. We can support others’ ideas, initiatives and professional development goals by asking a simple question: “How can I help?” Obviously, one must be careful not to be stretched too thin, but when people realize that others are willing to go beyond verbal encouragement and actually invest time and resources to help them achieve their goals, they often receive an internal boost of confidence because they know they’re not in it alone.
- Be reliable. When you or your work team or department make a commitment, be sure to follow through. In fact, getting things done ahead of deadlines does wonders for demonstrating dependability. When coworkers recognize that you and your team deliver on your promises, it not only reduces their anxiety, their confidence in your abilities gets strengthened. This results in a boost in esprit de corps, which rubs off on everyone, including the recipients of your organization’s services.
- Maintain confidentiality. Although it’s healthy to be transparent, it’s equally healthy to maintain confidence. Sensitive information must be respected. This is extremely important for building and maintaining trust. A word of wisdom here. If someone shares confidential information with you and you are later asked by others to share what you might know, you can keep your principle of being transparent while still maintaining confidentiality. Multiple methods exist, but one way to respond is by saying you are aware of some of the details regarding the question, but because of the nature of the matter, you are not at liberty to discuss it. To simply claim ignorance in an attempt to not discuss the matter is patently dishonest, and when others learn that you denied knowing something, trust is greatly diminished. Not what you want.
- Admit mistakes, but learn from them. Everyone makes mistakes, but it weakens the fabric of trust when a person attempts to hide a personal mistake or a blunder made by one’s team. It’s better to acknowledge mistakes and take responsibility. Nobody likes doing that, but it goes a long way toward maintaining integrity. From there, one can help restore trust by openly discussing and implementing improvements based on what was learned from a mistake. Demonstrating humility and making a commitment to growth are excellent components in the equation for building and maintaining trust.
- Collaborate and share credit. Rarely does success occur only because of one person. Collecting and implementing ideas from others goes a long way toward building both teamwork and trust, but be sure to give credit where credit is due. When discussing progress on a plan or when celebrating the completion of a project, be sure to acknowledge everyone who’s given input and assistance.
Harry S. Truman, our nation’s 33 President, is often credited with the phrase, “It’s amazing how much gets done when nobody cares who gets the credit.” No doubt many others have made such a statement over the years, but it underscores that remarkable results can occur when selfless collaboration and teamwork are part of the mix.
Therefore, recognize human nature for what it is. People like being acknowledged when they contribute their time, talent, ideas, or resources, so build trust and commitment by sharing the credit.
The world around us might be getting divided and impersonal, but in our own circles, we have a lot of say in how the weather works. Through our actions we can create trusting, productive relationships, or we can let contemporary trends demoralize and divide us. As with most things, the choice is up to us.
Daniel Bobinski is author of the best-selling book, “Creating Passion-Driven Teams,” and president of Leadership Development, Inc. He’s been helping organizations of all shapes and sizes since 1989. Reach Daniel with questions at www.eqfactor.net or at 208-649-6400.
