More on Building Trust...

Rebuilding trust has become a top priority for companies that are looking to break out of the

negativity that has become pervasive in many organizations. A self-centered, “What’s in it for

me” attitude robs an organization of the best that employees have to offer. When employees

perceive that an organization—or its leaders—are less than forthcoming, employees

become unwilling to contribute any discretionary energy or make any commitments to their

organization’s well-being beyond the absolute minimum.

Lack of trust creates cynicism, doubt, and anxiety that leads to “time off-task” speculation

and generally low energy and productivity. When people don’t trust their leaders, they

don’t come toward something; they pull back and withdraw instead. They doubt rather than

cooperate.

Often, the result is that employees will stay with the organization and do their job because

they need a paycheck, but not much more. It becomes purely a transactional relationship

with employees asking themselves, “If the organization does not do right by me, why should

I do right by them?” Sometimes employees will even leave an organization where trust is

lacking. Blanchard’s research with more than 1,000 leaders reinforces this point. Fifty-nine

percent of respondents indicated they had left an organization due to trust issues, citing lack

of communication and dishonesty as key contributing factors.