For a business to thrive and become successful, having an effective leader in place is critical. Whether that’s you or you have a leadership team in place, how they motivate, inspire and build trust will affect the success of your business. Gone are the days when leading with a rod of iron gets it done.
A strong business relies on trust in managers. Whether between leaders and team members or the business with clients and suppliers, you must work openly and honestly. That way, you can build valuable, lasting relationships to achieve sustainable success.
A lack of quality leadership and trust will eventually cause problems. It does not matter how good your products or service are. Your staff will be less keen on taking risks or feeling able to give feedback, stifling creativity and business growth opportunity. Morale is likely to be low, and productivity is affected. It could also lead to higher staff turnover rates. In fact, if your business is suffering from high staff turnover, one thing to consider is your leadership style. If you require assistance with developing a leadership mindset that works for you and your team, then training and mentorship programmes can help.
Trust gaining leadership
There are several facets of trust gaining that you will need to embody. These include:
Open, honest, clear and concise – always be as honest as possible, clear and transparent to avoid confusion and uncertainty. Even when news is unfavourable, getting it out in the open will reduce the need for speculation and rumours, which fuels distrust, and such feeling can quickly spread and have even the most ardent supporters becoming sceptical.
Clear expectations – leaders must ensure that team members understand their roles and responsibilities. Leaders should set good examples with their own behaviour, offer and accept feedback regularly, allow team members to have a voice, and feel empowered to support you.
Be accountable – this is one area that will gain you respect, always take responsibility when things go wrong and be responsible for your actions and decisions. If you show accountability and how to handle getting things back on track, your staff will see your leadership as a commitment to getting the best in place, even when things haven’t always worked out.
Conclusion
Trust is driven by open and honest communication with team members. Being a part of a team with strong leaders who understand the challenges and celebrate the successes as part of the team, yet know how to guide, lead and model expected behaviour through their own actions, are more likely to build a team that will work harder and make a more significant contribution to the success of the company.
A leader who can inspire and motivate a team is essential. However, not all leaders can get this commitment in a way that will ensure long-term success. A team that works with you rather than for you will fair far better. They will trust you as a leader and be more likely to go that extra mile when needed. Learn the difference between simply managing people and being an effective leader, and gain those skills to help you and your team make a positive difference.
