Lead with Trust and Success Will Follow
"Earn Their Loyalty"
Building trust has always been the key to my business and personal life strategy. Few things in life are more important than people's trust in your decision-making and keeping their confidence. In a recent article, STEVE WATKINS wrote an inspiring article that aligns with my own business strategy. “People must have unshakable faith in what you say and do. Build credibility or no one will follow you.”
"People have to feel they can trust and have confidence in your decision-making and your actions," said Jack Modzelewski, Chicago-based president of public relations and communications firm Jackknife PR Group and author of "Talk is Chief."
Trust is in short supply these days. An annual Gallup survey shows only around 20% of people trust their company's leadership. "It seems like a serious issue at a lot of companies," Modzelewski said. "It's like they say in sports: If you lose the locker room, you're in trouble. If you lose confidence and trust within your own organization, you lose credibility."
When you win trust from your people, they'll be inspired to do their job and follow through. They feel more psychologically safe, so they'll speak up when something is going wrong. And you'll earn their loyalty.
"They'll follow you when things feel hard," Modzelewski said. "You've built the trust and credibility of your people so you can get through it together."
Build Credibility From Within
It's vital for leaders to set the tone with their team and build trust among their people. It starts with the leader's internal credibility, says Anese Cavanaugh, author of "Contagious You" and CEO of Rocklin, Calif.-based leadership and culture consulting firm Active Choices.
"I've worked with hundreds of companies and I notice every time the more grounded a leader feels about their own credibility, the more it expands their confidence," Cavanaugh said. "That confidence creates more of an energetic presence that creates more trust and more of a willingness among people to follow them."
Build credibility inside by focusing on what Cavanaugh calls internal congruence. That includes living by your values and doing what you said you would.
She coined the phrase "intentional energetic presence." That refers to the intention of the impact you want to have, the energy you bring to the role and being present with your people.
"I can have the most incredible skills in the world," she said. "But if my IEP isn't there, that's the gap of why people aren't having the impact they want to have. That's the secret sauce."
Show Positive Energy
Ari Weinzweig, CEO and co-founding partner at Ann Arbor, Mich.-based restaurant operator Zingerman's Community of Businesses, displays that energetic, positive presence and the credibility that comes with it.
"His intention toward his workforce is to serve," Cavanaugh said. "He takes good care of himself and brings good energy to the table. And he's present with his people. That's why people love him so much."
To win credibility, leaders need to maintain energy, get things done and deal with others in a productive way so their people gain confidence and feel good about their jobs.
"Then your presence will radiate out to your people, they'll have more trust in you, and you'll build a better culture," she said.
Build Credibility Through Engagement
Communication is key. Be transparent, open and honest. Lying or failing to keep promises causes credibility to vanish, Modzelewski says. Talk to your people, too. Walk out on the factory floor. Engage with employees and show you truly want to apply their ideas and improve.
"The best CEOs really listen to people, take notes and pass those along," he said. "Maybe they don't follow through on all of them, but the ones that are legitimate have been heard and hopefully acted on."
Credibility gets tested when people see decisions they question. "You have to confront it," Modzelewski said. "It might mean telling people you have to do this to compete."
Create an action plan to improve on your weaknesses. Then check with others to gauge your progress.
"The more you do this, the more comfortable you'll get with not knowing it all," Cavanaugh said. "Everybody has room for growth in credibility."