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I had just finished delivering a seminar on "Managing Physician Performance," when a distinguished looking member of the audience approached me. "I think you missed something on the relationship of trust and effective leadership," he stated. I braced myself to hear "what I had missed." He went on, "I have found that if you want people to trust you, you must first show trust in them." He then went on to say that he enjoyed the seminar, but had a dinner appointment to keep and quickly left the room.

Throughout my long ride home, I reflected on his comment of "first trusting others before you can expect to be trusted." In over twenty-five years working with leaders, I have observed three ways that leaders communicate trust in employees:

1. Don't "Have it your way"

   To paraphrase the Burger King commercial, trust is expressed when we encourage employees to Do it their way. I find it perplexing that we sometimes hire very competent people and then try to persuade them to "Do it our way." One major consumer goods company, for example, insists that every business presentation follow the same template, regardless of the subject. Another large firm requires that any capital equipment request be confined to only one PowerPoint slide. What bothers me about such practices is that they can discourage innovation and creativity. Trust in employees is expressed when leaders state, "I hired you because you are good at what you do. Don't be afraid to show me new and better ways of conducting our business."

2. Communicate, "I've got your back"

   When I first heard this phrase several years ago, I had no idea what the young speaker meant. Today, this phrase has permeated contemporary language. I have now come to understand the speaker's message of "I will look out for you." In the world of work, the implied message of "I've got your back," is central to building trust between leader and follower. One way that this message is communicated is when a leader takes the time to give credit publicly for a direct report's work on an important project. It is reinforced in meetings when the leader backs up an employee who is unfairly criticized by a senior level manager. Trust is further demonstrated when a leader takes the time to prepare an employee for a presentation to a bombastic executive.

3. Encourage Judicious Risk Taking

   Too many employees are trained to play it safe at all costs. They often determining what the boss wants and then shape their work to meet the predetermined expectation. This is not unlike the politician who designs his or her platform totally on the results of voter polls. Rewarding risk taking and creativity sends a message that, "What you bring to the table is valued." As one COO of a major hospital explained to me, "We purposely offer a 'Golden Parachute' of one year's salary to every executive in this institution. We want them to take judicious risks and not be afraid of being fired." People need to know that it is human to make mistakes. If we create a "High Fear- Low Trust" environment, we will only foster mediocrity.

Communicating trust in employees helps them to achieve at a high level, which often produces results that exceed our expectations. Be patient and consistent in your efforts and keep in mind the words of Kouzes and Posner;¹ "Trust requires reciprocity, a willingness on the part of both parties to enter into dialogue and conversation. It also takes time because although trust may sometimes be forged in moments of great drama, it is more likely to be formed by many small moment-to-moment encounters."

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¹ Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It

Copyright 2006, Mark J. Campbell. All rights reserved.
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"Mark Campbell partners with organizations for leadership development. For a complimentary subscription to his newsletter, "Management Challenges," go to www.mjcampbellassoc.com."

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