Whether you are managing up, down or side wise... trust remains the answer.
Managing up:
Every week I report to my boss who is a VP in a headquarter somewhere in the US, far from Massachusetts where I live and work. The guy is a very good manager, experienced and business oriented. I have one hour where my team and I present our status and our weekly progress. I am a voice on the phone, and a few slides on a screen. Just put yourself in my bosses shoes: If you don't trust the voice, or think that the presented data is biased it can be hell. You will be trying to catch me, you will be double checking the data and you will end up doing my job yourself... hell for you and me isn't it?
Managing side wise and managing down:
Whether it's collaborating, directing or coaching... with no trust neither are effective. I remember getting a new project that was already underway... and I had to replace a charismatic program manager! Ouch! Having observed his project from the side, I had my own ideas on what he was doing wrong... I was younger and impatient then, and I started implementing change before building trust. BIG MISTAKE! Not many followed my lead. Why would anyone follow the new guy?
One advice I can give with confidence:
Trust is the most valuable asset a manager has....
Trust me!
Tips:
1 - Everyone has a different starting point, but be assured that everyone is continuously checking you and measuring your say/do ratio.
2 - Younger people seem to be more forgiving and experienced people more skeptical.
3 - Think of trust as a game:
One mistake and you lose many trust points; one success and you gain one.
4 - Building trust is a long game and the game never ends... so be ready to walk the talk!
Posts
Cristian;
ReplyDeleteYour thought is interesting. Did you read the famous book by P. Lencioni "The 5 dysfunctions of a team", Lack of trust was rated as the most devastating to a team to perform and achieve.
Trust is a game changer.. Trust me ;-)
--- ali ---
Hey Cristian,
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic. Keep writing :)
June
The topic of trust naturally brings the topic of credibility. What defines credibility and is it a precursor or a result of trust?
ReplyDelete--- ali ---
Is there much difference between credibility and trustworthiness?
ReplyDeleteYour point poses the important question of what builds trust... and the different types of trust.
For example, in a doctor-patient kind of relationship the expertise gap is such that patients tend to trust their doctors, and trust is acquired once and for ever (...well...after years of studies and residency).
In flattened organizations like in many corporations the trust is gained with sweat every single day (through openess, candid communication, sincerity, follow-through, and yes-it-helps success). This is not always well understood: I see frustrated people every day at work; many are high-degree engineers. Source of frustration? Their expertise is not recognized. I say to myself: they should have been doctors!
I'm curious to hear on how this plays in different organizations. The military must be an interesting case study... I guess that hierarchy and trust can collide creating interesting dilemmas. If anyone has any inside experience... please tell!
- Cristian
PS: I found this definition for credibility in WordNet: "the quality of being believable or trustworthy"... so yes, it's the chicken and the egg again.
How do you build trust with a new boss or as a new leader of an organization?
ReplyDeleteFor me, the best way is to make clear commitments to the team or your new manager and keep them. The bigger the commitment made and kept, the quicker the trust will be established. In this way, credibility and trust are synonymous.
Nice blog Cristian!
-an old colleague
Hi Lee!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the note, I agree... big commitments kept = earn points quicker...which is key when you are in a new position.
- Cristian