“You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment
unless you trust enough.” -- Frank Crane.
Trust is a matter of the heart and the mind. It is both an
emotional and a rational function. It is how you feel and perceive a person
based on their integrity, ethics, their intent, their words and actions, and their
capabilities.
From a personal life point of view, I believe there is a lot to gain by
trusting people around you. Trusting that there is someone in your life
watching your back gives you huge peace of mind.
Trust is important in the workplace too. You need to have trust in your
manager, your peers and your team. Employees will give their best if they trust
their manager. Building trust in your peers is also very important and possibly
the most difficult relationship. While you may be competing for the same
rewards, it is also important to build that mutual respect. It’s a great work
environment when peers have mutual respect and trust each other's capabilities,
ethics and intent.
Most goals and achievements are attainable through a team effort. Managers
cannot sign up for goals, especially the stretch goals, if they cannot trust their
team. When there is lack of trust between the manager and employees, there is
lack of emotional connection and this leads to many more issues – like insecurity,
taking credit for others work, trying to get visibility through incorrect ways.
Good managers usually are able to gain the trust of
their team. They stand by their teams during
good times and bad times. In typical work environments many times things do not
go as planned. The team needs to trust that their manager will understand and
not hold it against them.
Good managers also give respect to individuals in
their team. They trust the capabilities of their team members and will depend
on them. The saying “give respect and then take respect” actually works well at the work
place. I have developed a healthy respect for my managers who have respected me for my capabilities.
This turns into trust over time. When the manager trusts the
team, the team also trusts the manager over time. Clearly, trust is reciprocal.
Good managers are typically secure about their own abilities and capabilities. They are more ready to help build the careers of
the individuals on their teams and help them reach their full potential. This helps the team
build faith and trust in the manager. When managers are secure about their
capabilities, they are also secure in showing their vulnerabilities to their
team. One of my senior managers was talking to me about speaking in front of
large audience. While he did speak often
to large audience he told me that his stomach always crunches before a large
meeting. This put me at ease for my next talk. The fact that this manager could
share his vulnerabilities to help me gained my trust in him.
While trust can build a happy life and a good environment at the work place,
it can also be very risky and you can get hurt when people you trust deceive you.
But being deceived does not mean one can lose faith in people around them. You
cannot go on everyday thinking that people around you are out to "get" you and are ready to back stab
you. It is only with the trust of your team
that you can plan big and achieve those difficult goals. Someone has to extend the hand first
for the handshake -- maybe the manager/leader of the team reaches out and takes the first step towards building trust. While it may
seem more emotional than rational to trust people almost blindly, I
think you gain a lot and eventually gain the trust of people around you.
