How to Coach Yourself and Others Influencing, Inter Personal and Leadership Skills | Page 79

mentality.
When Trust Breaks Down
You’ll probably survive one unintentional breach of trust, especially if you take action to
address the situation.
But as unintentional breaches accumulate, other people will eventually begin to distrust
you. With their distrust will come the belief that your intentions are not sincere and that
you have ulterior motives.
After you’ve breached trust, it is important to consider how to restore it.
Here are six steps that you can take to recover from a mistake that may have
unintentionally damaged trust.
 Accept personal responsibility for your actions and those of your organization.
 Admit: Publicly acknowledge that you have made a mistake. Often, leaders either
deny or attempt to cover up any wrongdoing for fear that admitting a mistake might
damage their credibility. Evidence shows that attempting to hide mistakes will be much
more damaging and will actually erode trust.
 Apologize: Offer an apology. This lets others know that you are concerned about the
impact or problem that your actions may have created.
 Act: Take action to deal with the immediate consequences of a mistake. This shows
that you are willing to do something. This is a good time to get others involved by asking
for suggestions and trusting their judgment.
 Amend: A leader’s error can cause undue hardship to others. The amends made
should fit the problem.
 Attend: Leaders need to make sure that they are attuned to the influence their
actions are having on rebuilding lost trust. Pay close attention to the reactions of those
who are affected, ask for feedback, and be non-defensive in listening to constructive
criticism. This should also help you avoid unintentional breaches of trust in the future.