confusion and poor communication.
The next pillar of Benevolence has three habits- Be kind, be brave and be evangelical. Being kind sounds almost like a habit that is out of place in a work environment. When was the last time someone was kind to you? How about you, when were you kind to your workmate? Stressful situations result in a lot of criticism. Being kind is about being empathetic. Taking a minute to walk in someone else’ s shoes. A simple concern, remembering a difficult moment and being there, allowing an employee to rush home to stay with a sick child, saying pole to someone who has lost a parent, or even defending your team member because you understand the circumstances under which a mistake happened. Very small things, but very impactful. Share a kind word with someone today.
Being brave is all about being willing to stand up for your values and beliefs. These touch on moral and ethical dilemmas. Is it right that your supplier should have to wait 5 months to be paid, when the error lies with your organization? Will you stand up and be counted when Human Resources proposes a different reward scheme for your full-time employees and your outsourced staff.
Evangelizing refers to being able to share the good things. Blow the horn for your team members. Praise them, celebrate them, put them up on a pedestal. There is a theory called the Pygmalion Theory that basically says, if you believe in people, people will work to prove you right because they cannot bear to let you down.
The last pillar is Integrity which covers Being Open, Being Humble and Being Honest. In the past leaders believed they needed to create a persona of a powerful mysterious person, who knew all. Today, a know it all rarely gets trusted. In fact a leader who is vulnerable shows the team what it is like to be human. That just because you are a leader, you don’ t automatically know everything. That it is ok not to know things. By the way, the profession of coaching has this fundamental principle. The coach doesn’ t need to know, but rather helps individuals find the answers.
Being humble is yet another habit that drives trust in leadership. No one wants to interact with a leader who is a show off and who claims credit for everything.
Taking a back seat and allowing your team to shine is also a mark of a great leader.
Being honest is the last habit out of the nine habits of trust. Do you speak the truth? Do you lie to suit your agenda? Do you lie by omission or by commission and play your team members and your colleagues against each other? Eventually, no one will trust you and you will struggle to have a coherent and collaborative team.
If you want to build trust in your organization, start with a good look at yourself. How many of these habits do you practice? How many do you encourage your team to practice?
Let’ s have a conversation on how coaching can help both leaders and teams build trust and deliver better outcomes for organizations.
“ There is no leadership without trust.”( Author unknown)
Thrity Engineer-Mbuthia is a marketing guru and leadership coach. You can commune with her via email at: Info @ thrityengineer. org for coaching on building trust for organizations and teams.