Most people today are judgmental; blame it on the high degree of mistrust prevalent in the society. Some of them may have grown up hearing stories of betrayal, while others may have firsthand experience dealing with unreasonable bosses. This makes it all the more difficult to gain the trust of people in this day and age.
As a team leader or manager, you should take some deliberate steps to be more trusted. If you want to create an environment of trust in your workplace, you should lead by examples. It is also important to organize training sessions on topics, such as, ‘how to build mutual trust and respect at the workplace’ and ‘the importance of being both trusted and trusting.’ For instance, you can book training room rental or classroom rental and ask your employees to say how much they trust their managers or what areas need to be improved. Here are some more tips on how to become a trusted leader.
Own up to your mistakes
Every leader makes mistakes, but not all of them admit their mistakes. By not admitting your mistakes, you give a wrong impression of yourself to your team members. They can see through your hypocrisy when you constantly pass the buck. On the other hand, if you can own up to your mistakes, it only shows that you are an honest leader and you don’t see mistakes as a weakness.
Foster a sense of safety at work
Great leaders know how to make others feel safe. Under your leadership, your employees should feel free to voice their opinions, give feedback, and ask for fair compensation. They should have a sense of job security and a feeling of confidence in their ability. They should not worry about their personal growth and skills development, as if it’s a natural process. There should not be any discrimination at work on the basis of anything. If you can foster a sense of safety at work, it will help you become a trusted leader.
Let go of control
One way to show that you trust your employees is by giving them more control. Some leaders simply cannot let go of control. Even when they delegate certain tasks to their employees, they’ll constantly watch and give instructions. This shows that you don’t trust your employees. As a leader, you should learn when to let go of control, when needed. You can monitor and evaluate their performance, but don’t interfere every time.
Put their interest above yours
As a leader, you should be able to prioritize the interests of your employees. For instance, a salesperson needs to focus only on his individual performance; while a sales manager often needs to help his team to sell more. Rather than focusing on his own clients, he should try and help others win more clients. It is also important for a leader to take a stand in the best interest of their team members, whenever required. People trust those who work selflessly for a cause. Set examples to show that trusting others is more important than working for your personal gains.