• 804.241.9757
  • [email protected]
  • Contact
  • My Account
  • Log In
  • 0Shopping Cart
thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World
  • About
  • Services
  • TITAN
  • Team
  • Blog
  • Online
  • Books
  • Clients
  • Contact
  • Menu

Build your skills! Take our eLearning courses on TITAN!

World-class eLearning courses with videos, exercises, downloads, and a certificate of completion. Get started today!

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider

The Real Reason Your Team Doesn’t Trust You

September 12, 2011/2 Comments/in Books, Career, Communications, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Trust written on burgundy backgroundYour team doesn’t trust you.

Honestly.  They don’t.

Trust is key to effective working relationships; yet, as you climb the corporate ladder, trust seems harder to earn and easier to lose.

What causes a team to not trust their leader? You. Yes, you. You’re unpredictable and your team doesn’t know what to expect from you. But, these are fixable problems.

Trust is about an ability to rely upon or expect a predictable outcome.  When you act in ways your team doesn’t expect, it erodes trust and makes them wonder what you’re going to do next.  The root of all your trust issues lies in not clearly setting expectations of your behavior in the first place (and if you don’t think you have a trust issue with your team, take this quick 5 minute assessment to see how you stack up).

If you can clearly lay out how your people can expect you to behave in a variety of situations, they’ll have a basic expectation upon which to build a foundation of trust.  These expectations, however, cannot simply be broad, buzzword-filled platitudes.

When you set expectations, they have to be personal and meaningful enough to you that they guide your behavior in a variety of situations.  I refer to these guiding principles as “leadership maxims” which are rules of behavior or conduct.  The collection of all your leadership maxims becomes your personal leadership philosophy.

Defining Your Leadership Philosophy

I encourage you as a leader to define your own set of leadership maxims.  They can be as simple as one of mine which is “What would Nana say?”  For reference, Nana was my grandmother.  I can use that maxim in a variety of situations to guide my behavior.

When faced with a set of difficult choices, I simply ask “what would Nana say?” and my choice becomes clear.  To expound upon that, when I explain this maxim to my team, they’ll better understand how I make choices and they’ll see my behavior as consistent with this maxim.  It is this consistency that forms the basis of trust.  For a little more background on this maxim, you can watch a quick video clip here.

You’ll need to define your maxims across a range of situations.  You’ll need to think about four aspects of leadership:

– Leading yourself: what motivates you and what are your “rules of the road?”
– Leading the thinking: where are you taking the organization and what are your standards for performance?
– Leading your people: duh. This is the one we always focus on usually to the detriment of other aspects.
– Leading a balanced life: if you’re burned out, you’re worthless. How do you define and achieve balance?

How can they get to know the real you?

This isn’t about hanging out with your team and being best buddies over a beer. Helping them get to know you is about being transparent with your beliefs and standards. It’s about letting them know who you really are as a person. It boils down to having a clear leadership philosophy.

Before you run off and throw together a bunch of buzzwords and call it a philosophy, I encourage you to  articulate your PERSONAL leadership philosophy in a simple, concise way. Once you’ve defined that philosophy (which needs to be uniquely yours) you’re in a position to share those beliefs with your team members.

Reducing Uncertainty

Once they know who you are and what your leadership philosophy is, you need to live it every day. Predictability is key. If you articulate a philosophy, they’ll be watching for indicators of whether you lead in a manner that is consistent with it or not. Even the slightest departure in your actions from what your philosophy indicates will give them pause.

Consistency and predictability are crucial aspects of getting your team to focus less on “what’s the boss going to do today?” and more on the work they’re supposed to be doing.

To help them get comfortable that you’re being consistent, try pointing out instances when you’re taking action based on your philosophy. Help them see how your actions are in harmony with the things you already told them were important. When you do this, two things happen: first, they get more comfortable believing your philosophy isn’t just an empty set of platitudes and second they understand there is logic and reason behind your actions. Those two dynamics go a long way toward building trust between you and your associates.

The Bottom Line

The sooner you commit your leadership philosophy to paper, the better off you are. Be sure it is personal, authentic, and free of jargon or buzzwords. Share it with your team. Live it every day. Help them see you’re really not that complex or unpredictable. Morale, productivity, and trust will all increase as a result.

If you want a quick sense for whether your team finds you predictable, take this quick trust assessment.  It will take you all of 5 minutes but it will definitely get you thinking.  CLICK HERE to take the assessment.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

– If you want to be a better leader and build trust with your team, grab a copy of my book One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership

Photo: Trust by Artem Popov

https://thoughtleadersllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo.png 0 0 Mike Figliuolo https://thoughtleadersllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo.png Mike Figliuolo2011-09-12 07:22:112018-06-26 13:22:59The Real Reason Your Team Doesn't Trust You
2 replies

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. Why Your Team Doesn't Trust You - Lead Change Group says:
    October 14, 2011 at 3:23 pm

    […] Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.  This post, titled “The Real Reason Your Team Doesn’t Trust You” is jam packed with actionable ideas and Mike’s trademark style of intermixing personal […]

    Reply
  2. The Saturday Summary – 9/17/2011 — The Crossing of Marketing and IT says:
    September 17, 2011 at 9:13 am

    […] with members of your team is very important as a leader. Mike Fuguuolo explains this quite well in The Real Reason Your Team Doesn’t Trust You on the Thoughtleaders […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to the blog HERE!

Get free email updates NOW!
It’s the best 5 minutes a week you can spend on your development.

Enter your email address:

Get new posts FREE via RSS!
Follow thoughtLEADERS on LinkedInFollow thoughtLEADERS on twitter
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Check Out Our Courses

Our courses teach immediately applicable skills that have real impact on your business. From leadership to strategy and negotiation to conflict resolution, we have a broad set of course offerings that will drive immediate performance improvements.
OUR COURSES

Our Courses

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider

eLearning Courses on TITAN

Puzzle Pieces
Structured Thought: Problem Solving

Clearly define a problem, scope all issues related to the problem, generate potential solutions, then analyze and select the best solution by using time-tested critical thinking methods and tools.

VIEW COURSE
Group of Business People Meeting
Structured Thought and Communication

Craft clear and compelling recommendations that resonate with stakeholders. Get your ideas approved by using a proven method for delivering executive-level communications.

VIEW COURSE
Different Types of Line and Bar Charts
Principles of Chart Design

Create well-designed presentation charts that get your message across quickly and clearly to drive your audience to action. From data charts to concept charts, these methods help make your point.

VIEW COURSE
Wagon Wheel
Engagement Management

Whether you’re an internal or external consultant or a project leader, learn proven methods, techniques, and processes to effectively lead consulting engagements that drive your client’s success.

VIEW COURSE
Cog Wheels
Strategic Business Planning

Use a straightforward and effective strategic planning process that shows how to craft a clear, compelling plan for your organization - not just one time, but on an ongoing basis year after year.

VIEW COURSE
Deliberate Decision Making
Deliberate Decision Making

Make better, faster, and more effective decisions. Apply simple yet powerful decision making tools to define decision authority, manage risk, increase accountability, and drive execution.

VIEW COURSE
Men Shaking Hands
Everything is Negotiable

Become a better negotiator in all situations – from day to day interactions to hammering out large deals. Build the skills required to get what you want and strengthen relationships while you do.

VIEW COURSE
Exploding Lightbulb
Breakthrough Innovation

Generate and select unique strategies that separate you from the competition. Construct bold and disruptive solutions then build and execute a plan for taking those strategies to market.

VIEW COURSE
Man reading stories from a book
Storytelling for Leaders

Create business stories that inspire people, build connections with your audience, and ultimately advance your organization's goals by using a repeatable, straightforward method.

VIEW COURSE
Storytelling for Salespeople
Storytelling for Salespeople

Create and deliver stories that will take your sales efforts to the next level. Connect with and convince buyers in all situations using memorable stories. These stronger relationships drive more sales.

VIEW COURSE
Leading through Change
Leading through Change

Lead your organization through the most challenging times using a proven change management process. Get people through the change and back to driving performance quickly and effectively.

VIEW COURSE
Mountain Climbing Expedition
Building Leadership Resilience

Prepare your body and brain to be ready for and recover from your biggest challenges. Build approaches for overcoming stress, managing reactions to difficult events, and leading more effectively.

VIEW COURSE
Compelling Executive Presence
Compelling Executive Presence

Build your ability to connect with your audience and convey your ideas in a clear and resonant way. Create meaningful connections between you and your audience to build buy-in.

VIEW COURSE
Plant Growing in a Hand
Coaching for Impact: Foundation Course

Coach employees for performance and development more effectively by helping them identify and pursue their own solutions. Create the right environment and conditions to help them grow.

VIEW COURSE
Boat at Sunset
Building Personal Resilience

Build the habits and learn the behaviors required to manage stress, deal with adversity, and maintain your physical and mental wellbeing. Personal resilience is a key to your ongoing success.

VIEW COURSE
previous arrow
next arrow
Slider

Books You MUST Read

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider
  • The Elegant Pitch
  • The Vision Code
  • Billion Dollar Sales Secrets

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Categories

Our Course Offerings

Leadership Skills

Creating Your Leadership Maxims
Leading Inside the Box
Leading With Influence
Leading Through Change
Structured Problem Solving
Deliberate Decision Making
Strategic Business Planning
Simplified Strategic Planning
Coaching for Impact: Foundations
Coaching for Impact: Applications
Building Leadership Resilience
Engagement Management
Project Management Reality

Communication Skills

Communications: Foundations
Communications: Applications
Principles of Chart Design
Storytelling for Leaders
Storytelling for Salespeople
Compelling Executive Presence
Advanced Facilitation Skills

Individual Skills

Conflict Resolution
Everything is Negotiable
thoughtLEADERSHIP: Innovation
Building Personal Resilience
Time Management Mastery

Coaching & Consulting

©2021 thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Policy
8 Keys to Taming a Terrible Boss Being Authentic Means No More Buzzwords and B.S.
Scroll to top