How many organizations have you heard about where employees don’t trust leadership? There can be many reasons for it, but one of the main ones is that employees feel leadership is distant, that they’re holding something back, that they believe they are better than them. Those perceptions build over time, but can be broken. How? By being more authentic.
Every interaction with a person or group has the chance to strengthen or break down bonds. Bonds of trust, connection, alignment, etc.
Personal interactions aren’t always direct and face to face. Actions are louder than words is a phrase often said and it is often true.
Leaders burn through trust when they say one thing, but actions and, more specifically, the results or implications of those actions stick with people for much longer. If a leader’s actions support the words, that can be powerful, but usually serves simply as a confirmation of the words.
Trust builds up slowly. However, when actions don’t connect with words, trust is eroded at a much higher level than when it was built. Whether this was an intended action, or just perceived by your employees, it’s still on you. It’s your responsibility to make certain your actions, and those of the people on your team, match your words.
As a leader, your authenticity, and how its perceived by people in your organization, is absolutely critical. Just think of how you respond to people you feel are not honest with you? Imagine an entire organization spending time and effort wondering what you really mean and what you’ll really do in various situations.
If you are asking yourself questions like these, rather than looking just at processes, maybe you should be asking about authenticity and trust of leadership in your organization.
What things can you do to be more authentic?
Lastly, if you are true to yourself and what you believe, your own mission and vision, you are better capable of being authentic to your organization. How you act personally and professionally shouldn’t be different. If they are, you risk losing yourself, those around you and the organization you are supposed to lead.
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