3 Tips to Increase Trust as a New Leader

Smart Leaders Know that You Increase Trust as a New Leader

If you are a new people manager, be aware that you are the “change” in the room and, like all organizational change, you are apt to encounter some levels of both fear and resistance.  Do not underestimate the need to increase trust as a new leader.

We know from decades of designing and delivering customized new manager training programs that many of your new employees will have to be influenced to share your vision and work collaboratively as a team. It will be up to you as their new supervisor to assuage their concerns that you “won’t hiss.”

How? By doing what it takes to increase trust as a new leader.

How to Increase Trust as a New Manager

Trust is basically the absence of fear. You want a high performing team that can depend upon you and rely upon their co-workers. Especially when the going gets tough, you need employees who are willing to work hard and take a risk because they know that you and the team as a whole have their back. They depend upon agreed upon team norms of mutual respect and integrity.

When you are part of a team that is founded on trust, work is much more satisfying and engaging. According to a study conducted by Imperative Research, companies with high trust generate 2.5 times the revenue compared to low trust organizations.

Here are three tips from new manager training on how you can increase trust as a new leader:

1.  Establish a Common Purpose

We know that strategic clarity accounts for 31% of the difference between high and low performing teams. As a new leader make sure that you and your team have clear, believable and implementable answers to the following key questions:

— How does that goal align with the overall company strategy?

— How will team and individual success be measured and rewarded?

— Who is responsible for what?

— What do you need from each team mate to succeed and what do they need from you?

— What are your goals and accountabilities as a team?

Everyone wants to feel needed and have a role in making a difference. Articulate the reason your company (and by extension your team) exists. This answer to “why” needs to go well beyond making money. Perhaps your work improves the environment, or puts people in touch with one another, or simply makes life easier. Your purpose will give meaning to the work you all do and help keep your team focused on larger and more worthy goals than simply getting through the day.

2.  Define a Code of Behavior
What are your team norms and how do you expect team members to behave?

Work together to define your organizational culture and your standards of behavior. You should not need a long list of rules and regulations.

Rather, your team values should be simply stated and act as guidelines for the way you treat one another, the way you make decisions, and the way you interface with customers. Corporate values, such as being accountable and taking responsibility for one’s actions or focusing on what can be done rather than what can’t, can keep you all on track and moving in the same direction.

Of course, as a new manager you should always model the agreed-upon code of behavior and reinforce it in others whenever you can.

3.  Establish Open Communication
In our latest organizational alignment research, the timely flow of information demonstrated the fourth strongest influence in terms of revenue growth, profitability, leadership effectiveness, employee engagement and customer loyalty.

Managers who hold information close to the chest undermine trust. Secrets breed suspicion, gossip, and back-channeling at work.

As a new supervisor, keep your team well informed of what’s going on at various levels and in various departments in the company. And welcome suggestions for improvement or questions about procedures. By sharing knowledge and encouraging discussion, the team will gain confidence in your ability to lead.

The Bottom Line
In order to be effective, new managers need to build trust with and on their team. Only then can your team begin to work collaboratively and cohesively toward higher performance.

To learn more about how to Increase Trust as a New Manager download The 6 Traps that Can Sabotage Your Success as a New Leader