True Tilt Leadership: Lesson on the Strength of TRUST

TRUE TILT LEADERSHIP...Balanced, Conscious, Creative and Inspired.

LESSON on TRUST in the
Tilt Leadership Model

Category: HUMANITY Meta-Factor
(Includes the Core Strengths of Trust, Consideration, Diplomacy)

Definition of Humanity Meta-Factor:  The quality of having harmonious and collaborative relationships that come from conscious concern for ones impact on others, so that social influence is expanded. 

Proficiency #1.  Advocates for Authentic Transparency.  (Strength=Trust)

Trust is the first of the core leadership strengths and the one that correlates most strongly with all of the others.  If trust is established, then all of the other strengths will unfold more quickly.  Yet the establishment of trust takes time and involves building a relationship over time.  To do this successfully it requires genuine and transparent communication so that each person understands the motives and values of both sides. An experience of predictable behaviors eventually enables an understanding about what is valued on both sides and is respected so that the cadence of effective relating unfolds. 

Attending to the feelings and needs of the other in a relationship is paramount., but the primary attending by the leader must focus on serving the mission, NOT to please individuals but to serve the objectives of that mission.  Helping others to achieve CLARITY about how their role serves the shared goals of the enterprise is the purpose of leadership trust.  If a leader reveals honest goals and reasoning regarding the mission then followers have an opportunity to choose whether this also serves their personal values and goals for good organizational fit.  When agreement occurs, the organization can benefit from those individuals who serve those shared goals.  

 When goals or values of constituents are at cross-purposes or too divergent to the accepted norms, then trust cannot be established and this is where the opposite end of the polarity to trust comes into play; through the personal confidence of the leader.  In this case, the leader has an obligation to balance the attempt at trust with personal confidence and accountability to goal alignment if fit cannot be achieved with a reasonable investment of time.

TRUST balanced with CONFIDENCE= COMMAND PRESENCE

The Four Traits of Trust:

1. Humble: 
The leader is modest about one's self importance.   The leader contributes to trust by acknowledging that they may not know everything that is needed for perfect or flawless decisions, but they must make decisions based on what they know to be true at this point in time.   Being willing to listen to other points of view that may shed light on the subject can help, but eventually a decision must be made in the service of momentum.  Perfection in decision-making is not a reality in most domains of leadership. 

2.  Authentic:
The leader behaves in a way that seems genuine.    The leader contributes to trust by being a real person that is grounded and present.  If the attempt at building trust is superficial and isn't supported by a commitment to personal values that can be communicated, then it won't last.  This means expressing one's own truth specifically and quickly.  Honesty is always better than being nice on the surface and holding back true emotions so they can be dealt with promptly.  

3. Respectful:
The leader shows deference toward others.  The leader contributes to trust by being respectful of human rights and helps all involved take responsibility for their own choices.  This does not mean taking too much responsibility for others, nor does it mean taking too little responsibility.  Again, the reasonableness question comes into play.  If followers do not take responsibility for their choices and behaviors, it will be the leader's responsibility to provide coaching that balances respectful contribution to mutual purpose by all.  

4.  Discreet:
The leader keeps commitments when trusted with private information.   The leader contributes to trust by knowing what should be shared to advance learning and what should not be shared because it would be detrimental to the enterprise.  A leader demonstrates discretion by honoring those who are absent by saying to others only what they are also willing to say directly to that person or is in service of shared developmental support.   Leaders also hold discretion regarding what should be kept private or public as they communicate with constituents outside of the organization.  

So, how does the leader demonstrate TRUST in climate & culture?

The Systemic Challenge:

Organizational trust is established through commitment to explicit and written agreements about behaviors that ensure healthy and productive focus on higher level behaviors (those that encourage individuals to subordinate self-focused interests to those that benefit the enterprise they serve).  

All of us have certain individual interests in our choice to work.  The receipt of financial consideration and the ability to contribute our gifts in service of the purpose of the organization are two primary reasons many of us work.  Behavioral norms in the culture are accepted over time through organizational behavior standards AND by the tacit approval in the actual implicit behaviors of leaders.  Behaviors that are unhealthy (blaming, gossiping, manipulating, coercion)  can become the norm if the leader does not engage accountability to healthy behaviors (respect, responsibility, good judgment, effective communication, emotional fit).  Over time, the norms will proliferate virally and result in exactly what the leader is committed to supporting through tacit approval.  Since the leader has the highest level of responsibility for the culture created by their actions, they must be highly attuned to what is healthy and what is not. 

Unhealthy behaviors create a culture of politics, drama, chaos, churn and internal competition.  Healthy behaviors create a culture of emotional alignment, collaboration, shared leadership and positive change that is sustainable.  The most senior leader has the highest level of responsibility for accomplishing and maintaining culture, but pockets of accountability reside within teams lead by mission critical leaders as well, since senior leaders often risk being isolated from potential issues.  This is the primary reason why TRUST and CONFIDENCE must be balanced by a commitment to healthy and sustainable results and outcomes.  

Interesting Learning for this lesson:

The Key Factor in a Global Economy: TRUST

"As we move rapidly into an even more transparent interdependent global reality,
trust is more career critical than it has ever been. My interactions with business leaders
around the world have made it increasingly evident that "speed to market" is now the
ultimate competitive weapon.

Low trust causes friction, whether it is caused by unethical behavior or by ethical
but incompetent behavior (because even good intentions can never take the place of bad
judgment). Low trust is the greatest cost in life and in organizations, including families.
Low trust creates hidden agendas, politics, interpersonal conflict, interdepartmental
rivalries, win-lose thinking, defensive and protective communication-all of which
reduce the speed of trust. Low trust slows everything-every decision, every
communication and every relationship.

On the other hand, trust produces speed. And, as Stephen points out, the greatest
trust-building key is "results." Results build brand loyalty. Results inspire and fire up a
winning culture. The consistent production of results not only causes customers to
increase their reorders; it also compels them to consistently recommend you to others.
Thus, your customers become your key promoters, your key sales and marketing people.
In addition, results win the confidence of practical-minded executives and work forces.
Consistent results also put suppliers under the main tent as strategic partners, which is so
vital in this new world-class, knowledge worker, global economy."   

Steven Covey in the forward to his son's book Speed of Trust, by Steven M.R. Covey. 


Quote by  Steven M. R. Covey:

"Simply put, trust means confidence. The opposite of trust-distrust-is suspicion. When you trust people, you have confidence in them-in their integrity and in their abilities. When you distrust people, you are suspicious of them-of their integrity, their agenda, their capabilities, or their track record. It's that simple. We have all had experiences that validate the difference between relationships that are built on trust and those that are not. These experiences clearly tell us the difference is not small; it is dramatic."

Questions for thought:

What are YOU doing to ensure that TRUST and CONFIDENCE are in balance are are supported by intentional focus by your leadership and the leadership of all those you influence in your organization?  Are you part of the problem or courageously supporting TRUST in your life and actions?


NEXT time:

Meta-Factor of HUMANITY and Proficiency #2:  Consideration.


Pam Boney, Lead Instructor
Tilt Academy for Innovative Leadership
pam@tilt360leaders.com
Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved to Tilt, Inc.