How We Rationalize Low Trust

So what’s your trust excuse?

Fifteen years is a long time to be “talking trust” with leaders and managers, and yet something keeps me doing it. I have spoken with hundreds if not thousands of business leaders during this time from small startups to Fortune 500 and, given the opportunity, ask this question.

What role if any does trust play in your work?

And these are the most common responses in no particular order.

1. None, trust is a soft skill
2. None, there is no business case
3. None, we have no budget
4. None, we do not consider it a measurable risk
5. I never thought about it
6. My employees trust me
7. Huge, every year we bring in a “big name” motivational speaker
8. None, I have too many daily fires to extinguish
9. None, it’s not my job
10. None, are you kidding?

What’s the message here? Whether you are a leader, manager or work as a member of a team, if you do not intentionally choose trust building as part of your daily activities, do not expect it to flourish. That’s not the way trust works.

If you are interested in learning more, take a look below.