Do you just need to tell you the truth to build trust? Surprisingly the answer is no! Truth and trust, both only one syllable apiece and with only one letter difference between them. We often place them next to each other assuming one will create the other but there is not a linear relationship between the two. If you don’t tell me the truth, for example, it doesn’t mean I won’t trust you and I can tell you truths you might not want to hear which might erode your trust in me. How about I come up to you and breezily say, ‘Hey, I broke into your house last night and drank all your booze’! Are you going to trust me then? Of course not.
Truth is about positive intention and trust is only created depending on how the truth has been interpreted by it’s recipient. Often trust is not created by what people say but on how they are seen to behave. When people do what they say they are going to do, when they prove themselves reliable and when they have the interests of others at the heart of their actions people will very quickly trust them.
So how do you instil trust in your team? Try this: show your vulnerability. One of the worst things you can do as a business owner is to never admit to your mistakes. Most business owners and managers never show their weakness, never admit to getting things wrong or making an error of judgement. Try it! You go first and in doing so you will fast track the trust people will have in you. Not only that but it will transform your team, your business and ultimately, your life.