" Employees have to earn the trust of their managers ... Because you can ’ t expect trust if you haven ’ t earned it yourself ."
and to the employee . So , to determine the best way to design a moment for a given employee , you have to invest your time and interest in that person , and get to know them as an individual : their talents , goals , hopes , dreams , interests — and disinterests , too .
Here ’ s where to start : with one single employee . Pick someone — perhaps a person you ’ ve been struggling to connect with — and try to design one moment that will have meaning for that person . Is there a big life event on the horizon you could acknowledge or support ? Something they have accomplished at work to celebrate ? What kind of action could you take that might startle them out of their daily grind — in a really good way ?
Can ’ t think of anything ? That ’ s a clue you need to start a little further back . Invest some time in getting to know that employee better . Work alongside them . Ask about their lives . Pay a little more attention to how their workday is going . This groundwork will give you better insight into what might make an impact for that individual .
Remember : deposits of trust aren ’ t about making a big show . They ’ re about simply being there for your employees , both in the literal and metaphorical sense .
It ’ s Time to Take Responsibility for Trust
If you want your people to truly commit to you , you first have to earn it . Yes , winning that trust — building those individual bank accounts — takes effort and time ( sometimes lots of time ). But once you have loyalty , it ’ s contagious — and it won ’ t be long before you ’ ve created a workplace culture in which your whole team has each other ’ s back .
So , design those impact moments , invest in that loyalty , and keep making those small , everyday deposits of trust . Because if your people trust you , they will give their all for you .
Clint Pulver is a professional keynote speaker , author , musician , pilot , and workforce expert . www . aamdhq . org AUGUST 2023 TRENDS | 39