Traditionally we have been told, in order to build trust in our organizations and strengthen our teams, we should invest in:
- Team-building activities
- Being transparent with company info
- Thanking your team and giving them recognition
But a survey conducted with 597 people revealed those methods of building trust and strengthening the team aren’t so tried and true after all. In fact, they are among the least effective.
According to the survey, only 1% of responding managers and employees said retreats and team-building are the most effective ways to build trust, and only 4% said thanking the team and giving recognition was most effective. The previous two facts didn’t really shock me, but this one did. To my surprise, only 10% of people said being transparent with company info was the most effective.
Since trust is widely acknowledged as the most valuable currency in the workplace as it relates to team-building, culture and team performance, the question of how we effectively, efficiently and scalably build trust is crucial to answer. So what are the most effective ways to build trust as a leader?
Turns out the #1 way to build trust in an organization is VULNERABILITY.
Of the 597 survey respondents, 28% said if their leadership were more vulnerable — willing to admit to faults and share shortcomings — it would improve the leader’s ability to build trust.
The #2 and #3 ways to build trust were: Communicate intent behind your actions and follow through on commitments.
REV is a platform that can help leaders build trust in their organizations. We give you the platform to gather your people and help you share your stories.
But we don’t want you to just admit your shortcomings every now and then. We want you to move forward in your stories and INSPIRE your people by telling them how you have overcome challenges in life and in business. We want you to build a culture where other people’s stories are welcomed, where your people connect with each other and care for each other, and we want you to do it with a platform that actually helps your stories be heard and followed through on.