Creating a Trust-Centric Workplace Culture

To build a workplace culture of trust, we must first understand what “trust” really is. Trust provides the foundation for positive and productive relationships. People who are trustworthy show reliability, integrity, and strong emotional intelligence, which results in vulnerability and transparency.

According to Patrick Lencioni in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, there are two basic types of trust: predictive-based trust and vulnerability-based trust. Predictive trust is based on the fact that someone has been reliable and competent in the past. Vulnerability trust is based on whether the person makes you feel psychologically safe, meaning you can open up to them without fear of repercussions. Both types of trust are necessary, but vulnerability-based trust will get you further as you level up your teams.

Companies should work on building a culture of trust, which has many benefits at work.

The Benefits of Trust in the Workplace

From trusting your employees to make decisions (aka. worker autonomy) to building trust within teams, trust forms relationships that lead to success. Creating a high-trust culture can result in…

• Enhanced Collaboration and Teamwork –Trust creates a culture where employees feel comfortable sharing ideas or collaborating with colleagues and managers, leading them to become a high-performing team. When trust is present, people are more likely to contribute their unique talents and ideas, which can help overcome challenges in novel ways.
• Increased Employee Engagement and Job Satisfaction – Engaged employees report more happiness at work, have fewer absences, and tend to stick around. This is because, in a trust-based environment, employees feel valued and respected. This trust encourages employees to take ownership of their contributions, trusting that they won’t be admonished or punished if things don’t work out as expected.
• Improved Communication and Decision-Making – Dale Carnegie’s research has revealed that 80% of people on high-performing teams reported receiving open and honest communication from leaders. Only 61% of employees on other teams could say the same. Better communication results in faster and better decision-making because employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and are motivated to cooperate based on respect and trust in one another.
•  Greater Innovation and Creativity – A high-trust culture encourages risk-taking and creativity, which together lead to innovation. If employees feel safe around each other and management, they will be more likely to speak up with ideas that may be outside the box. For example, Amazon Prime came to be when employee Charlie Ward placed his idea into an employee suggestion box. Without trust that his idea wouldn’t be laughed at, Amazon might never have become the retail giant it is today.
• Strengthened Organizational Resilience and Adaptability – Resistance to change is common in the workplace. But when employees trust leadership and each other, they are more likely to embrace change and tackle new challenges head on, increasing the adaptability and resilience of organizations.

These are great benefits, but the question remains: how do leaders build trust with employees?

Building a Culture of Trust

Creating trust in the workplace takes effort, no doubt. But you can bring trust to your organization with attention to the following aspects.

Leaders must be transparent in their communication and accountable for their actions. Sharing information about the organization’s goals, challenges, and current status makes employees feel respected and valued, a true part of decision-making. Open communication is just as if not more important when things go poorly. Managers who learn to lead with humility will foster psychological safety and produce high-performing teams.

Leaders must prioritize empathy and respect in all interactions. From communicating with tact to exhibiting emotional intelligence, good leaders know that being respectful gets you further than issuing demands. Even Dale Carnegie recognized this with his principles such as “Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires” and “Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.”

Leaders must create opportunities for open dialogue and feedback. There is an unfortunate perception gap between what employees experience and what leaders think they experience. Managers must gather feedback about their management and decision-making and act on it to ensure employees are heard.

Leaders must promote a sense of belonging and inclusion. This should be woven into the fabric of your company, aligning actions with organizational values and ethics. Fostering psychological safety is a foundation for building trust, credibility, and respect.

The importance of trust in leadership cannot be overstated. But trust cannot be forced; it must be earned.

Trust Leads to Influence

It’s no secret that trust is a catalyst for leadership effectiveness. Trust-based leadership empowers employees and drives change and innovation by creating and leveraging high-performing teams. Developing trust in the workplace can result in a great ability to lead with influence.

Leading with influence requires building interpersonal relationships—relationships based on trust. Leading with influence requires empathy—empathy requires trust to build psychological safety. When you lead with influence, you employ methods such as asking questions over giving direct answers—which requires trusting in employees.

Cultivating Trust for Lasting Success

If you want to build high-performing teams based on trustful relationships, then effective leadership is a must. In my new book, Lead With Influence: A Proven Process To Lead Without Authority .I give you the roadmap for influencing others through kindness, empathy, accountability, humility—and yes, trust.

Trust is not found, it is built. Build your skills with courses from Dale Carnegie.