Employers who strive for success for their organisations understand the relevance of building trust in their teams. This is because trust is known to motivate and increase productivity among employees. Organisations that prioritise trust as part and parcel of their culture tend to provide a safe place where people are open to challenges, opportunities and growth, says Maxime Ngabo, a production unit manager. He says, with trust in the workplace, both employers and employees can easily team up and work together which creates unity and progress at work. For this to happen, Ngabo says it’s relevant that managers as well as others in leadership positions align their words and actions, noting that this is crucial for building trust. “Leaders need to understand that their subordinates often consider their actions, this is what has the most impact. A person who speaks one thing, but does another, sets pace for distrust among his or her team,” he notes. Ngabo hence recommends authenticity from leaders themselves if an organisation is to build a fully engaged and committed team of employees. When building trust at work, Bosco Muhumuza, a business owner says appreciating employees’ efforts is critical. Whereas employees are paid for their work, it is necessary that managers and CEOs go beyond that to show them appreciation for what they do, he says. “Through gratitude, a lot can be achieved compared to what a salary can. Appreciating your workers demonstrates how much you value and trust them. This can be done through simple emails or messages recognising their work done or they can be rewards to best performers,” he says. Author David Grossman connotes the relevance of consistency when building trust in the workplace. Consistently doing what you say you will do builds trust over time – it can’t be something you do only occasionally. Keeping commitments must be the essence of your behaviour, in all relationships, day after day and year after year. He also writes that it’s important to model the behaviour you seek. “Nothing speaks more loudly about the culture of an organisation than the leader’s behaviour, which influences employee action and has the potential to drive their results. If you say teamwork is important, reinforce the point by collaborating across teams and functions. Give credit when people do great work and you will set the stage for an appreciative culture.” Build in accountability. When you and other leaders acknowledge your mistakes as well as successes, employees see you as credible and will follow your lead, the author notes. You can encourage honest dialogue and foster accountability by building in processes that become part of the culture, such as an evaluation of every project (positives, negatives, things to change) or a status report and next steps in each meeting agenda (tracking deadlines and milestones).
