Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2022 - 33

institutions, and a weakening of the
principles that sustain those institutions. "
Within the world of learning development
(L&D), we have seen an increase in
miscommunications arise from blended
and work-from-home environments.
This lack of trust is bad news for
organizations everywhere. In his
research on the neuroscience of trust,
Paul J. Zak found that employees
in high-trust organizations are 50%
more productive, report 74% less
stress and have 106% more energy
at work compared to their low-trust
counterparts. They also report 76%
more engagement, 40% less burnout
and take 13% fewer sick days. It is
clear that leaders at any level should
make building (or rebuilding) trust a
priority in the year to come.
The Elements of Trust
At its core, leadership is a relationship.
There is no leader if there is no one
willing to follow. Leaders must create
positive relationships and connect
others around a common purpose -
and the foundation of any successful
relationship is mutual trust. If today's
leaders want to foster trust with
employees and other stakeholders,
they must understand the elements of
trust and the behaviors that underlie
trusting relationships:
☐ Reliability: Business leaders must
create a reliable and predictable
experience for their customers,
employees and other stakeholders.
To do this, they must set effective
boundaries and clear expectations
about how work gets done, what
professional behavior looks like and
how conflicts will be resolved. These
expectations must be communicated
clearly, and put into daily practice.
Misunderstandings about what is
expected can quickly erode trust in
any relationship.
☐ Transparency: When mistakes are
made, it is vital to acknowledge
them openly and honestly and
communicate what will be done
to correct the situation. Leaders
should create an environment that
encourages their team to handle
their mistakes the same way, rather
than
hiding
or
about a problem.
☐ Integrity: To build trust, leaders must
practice honesty and live their stated
values. Corporate scandals, reports
of tax evasion and illegal activities
by
leaders
of
major
companies
have eroded the public's trust in
business leadership. The integrity of
an organization affects customers
and workers alike. Leaders must
demonstrate a commitment to
honesty and reliability in all areas of
their organizations - from accounting
policies
to
human
resources.
To
demonstrate integrity to internal
and external customers, leaders
should keep privacy concerns a top
priority. Recent data breaches of wellknown
organizations have increased
customer concerns about their safety,
further eroding trust in companies they
once relied on for goods and services.
being
dishonest
The Skills
Leaders Need Now
To rebuild trust in institutions and
organizations, leaders must embrace
three essential skills:
Emotional Intelligence
Often thought of as a " soft skill, " emotional
intelligence is now an essential skill for
leaders at any level. The components
of emotional intelligence, like
selfawareness,
self-regulation, motivation
and empathy, have become increasingly
important as people navigate the stress
of conducting business throughout the
global pandemic. Customers, employees
and leaders alike are experiencing
high levels of stress, difficult working
conditions and unprecedented amounts
of uncertainty. Leaders must demonstrate
the ability to manage their emotions
and handle stressful situations while
remaining aware of how their words and
behaviors impact those around them.
There is no leader
if there is no one
willing to follow.
☐ Vulnerability: Trust requires
vulnerability. Leaders must be willing
to ask for help when they need it and
not judge others when they need
support. Creating an atmosphere
where people feel allowed to be
human and fallible is essential to
a trusting environment. In the face
of the many challenges of the last
two years, vulnerability means
embracing difficult conversations.
Some leaders mistake vulnerability
for weakness, but as author and
lecturer, Brene Brown explains,
" Vulnerability sounds like truth and
feels like courage. Truth and courage
aren't always comfortable, but they
are never weakness. "
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - WINTER 2022 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
To be seen as trustworthy, leaders must
model self-awareness and emotional
stability even in times of conflict
or tension. Emotionally intelligent
leaders create an atmosphere of
psychological safety that allows team
members to ask questions, speak up
about problems and try new things
without fear of repercussions.
Fortunately, emotional intelligence is a
skill that can be learned and strengthened
through intentional practice. Developing
emotional intelligence improves the
quality of both personal and professional
relationships and can benefit employees
at any stage of their career.
Effective Communication
Less than half of employees report
that they are well informed about
their organization's goals and
strategies. Now more than ever,
uncertainty about job security and
organizational strategy is causing
stress for workers. When there is an
absence of information, people often
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https://www.hbr.org/2017/01/the-neuroscience-of-trust https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability?language=en https://www.trainingindustry.com/magazine
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