Work environment under certain circumstances is not far from personal one and trust is one of those key topics that you cannot afford yourself to loose in neither of them.
I think most leaders strive to be trustworthy, because is easy to understand that without this characteristic is difficult to reach any objective.
Yet despite our best intentions, there will be times when we damage the level of trust in relationships with our co-workers. Sometimes it is due to mistakes when we make choices that we know are wrong or hurtful to others. At other times, we unknowingly erode trust by engaging in behaviours that others interpret as unreliable. And last this can happen, in this troubled times, when choices are the right ones even if they are very painful.
Regardless of how it happens, breaking trust in a relationship is serious business.
When a breach of trust occurs, there are six steps we as leaders should consider to repair the relationship:
- Be transparent and clear. Acknowledge that trust has been broken. Recognising that there is a problem is the first step towards solving it. Don’t use the “ostrich technique” to bury your head in the sand and hope the situation will resolve itself, because, as happens in many other cases, it won’t. The longer you wait to deal with the situation, the more people will perceive your weakness as meanness.
- Fault is a two way street. Admit your role in causing the breach of trust. For some leaders this could be a challenging step. It is one thing to acknowledge that there is a problem, it is quite another to admit it is caused in part or all by ourselves. Our ego and pride are usually what prevents us from admitting our mistakes. Gather courage and take care of your actions. This will pay huge dividends along the way as you work to rebuild trust.
- Sorry seems to be the hardest word… but pays once said. Apologise for what happened. A sincere “sorry” involves admitting your mistake, accepting your quota of responsibility. Explaining the reasons why something happened is fine, but don’t make excuses by trying to shift the blame to something or someone other than yourself, while at the same time maintaining what relates to you and what to others.
- Explore the “why?” area. Assess where the breach of trust occurred. Have you eroded it by not being skilful, credible, consistent or trustworthy? People form perceptions of our trustworthiness when we use, or don’t use, behaviours that align with these four elements. Knowing the specific element that you have violated will help you take specific actions to resolve the problem without messing up the rest.
- Act. Don’t wait: change the situation by taking corrective measures to repair any damage that has been done and create an action plan for improve in the future. Attempts to rebuild trust will be blocked unless you take this critical step to demonstrate noticeable changes in how you behave: is one of those cases where beyond words you need facts.
- Be consistent. Responsible behaviour will be the ultimate determinant of your success. You can apologise indefinitely and promise never to do it again, but if your actions don’t align with your words, trust will never be restored. Build your trust development plan to reduce the chance of you repeating the wrong approach.
It is not possible to check always the outcome of this process and there is no guarantee that following these steps will restore trust in the relationship. However, even starting it is a thing to do, whatever complex can be because will, in any case, improve yourself as a leader.
