Is this how to build trust as a manager?

This is how to build trust as a manager

           For a company to be successful there must be trust between the workers and the manager. Without trust, workers are likely to be disengaged. Lack of trust means you don’t believe in each other which will affect communication, teamwork, and performance. You may end up creating a toxic work environment. But how do you build trust with your workers? In this post, I will share some ways you can build trust as a manager.

Be Honest

Being honest can be hard when sharing tough news. We tend to believe giving hard news will affect how people think of us. A manager should lead by example and hold difficult conversations with team members honestly. If your company has not met its objectives or you are firing a team member, you should be honest with them.

Lack of honesty brings about gossip and speculations in the workplace. Workers respect a manager who talks openly about tough situations and gives facts. By being honest as a manager, you also encourage your workers to be honest.

Own Your Mistakes

Owning mistakes as a manager helps in developing trust. As a leader, don’t just own the success of the team but also the team’s failures. When you own a mistake, you portray yourself as human. This makes you approachable and your workers tend to like you more. Your workers view you not as their manager but as their team member. You show the team not to hold you in high esteem and not to think that you are perfect or you cannot make a mistake. By taking responsibility for your mistakes, you create a safe working environment and encourage your subordinates to do the same.

Treating Workers Humanly

As a manager, you can get caught in seeing your workers in terms of what they produce. You can base viewing your workers on the performance metric they are supposed to achieve. It is your duty as a manager to maintain a healthy environment at work. However, this does not mean each worker should be your best friend.

But, it means that you should create a relationship with your workers, which is past their daily tasks. By doing this, you make your employees feel valued. In as much as you should not know every detail about their life, focus on knowing what they enjoy about their job. This way, you get to support their professional development.

Give Credit to Workers

To give credit is to appreciate and recognize your workers for their achievement and hard work. Managers often represent the team members to stakeholders in high-level meetings. They present the results of the work of team members.

As a manager, ensure you give credit where required and let the workers stand out. If you take credit for the work of a worker or present achievements as your own, the team will lack trust in you. By giving credit to a worker, you also encourage other team members to recognize each other. You create a culture of sharing knowledge and feedback. Workers trust managers who recognize their work.

Prioritize the Interests of Your Workers

To lead a team, you are the spokesperson of that team. You must give them constructive feedback on how they handled a project. To the outside world, you must represent your team positively and be proud of their achievements. Criticizing and undermining your team in public breaks the trust of your team. Mistakes made within your team should not be used to criticize them but should be viewed as an opportunity for growth. When you are with your team, give them constructive feedback to encourage them.

Overcome Unconscious Bias

As human beings, we naturally make assumptions about others. This does not exclude managers. Being a manager, you can unconsciously favor some workers over others. This is common and you might have no intention of harming a team member. However, if it is about rating the performance of workers, it can lead to a loss of trust. In the workplace, managers and workers should learn how to identify and overcome unconscious bias. You can educate workers by bringing speakers to teach them, or put resources such as books to help them understand unconscious bias.

Ask for Feedback

As a manager, do you often ask for feedback from your workers? Most employees feel uncomfortable sharing constructive feedback among themselves leave alone with the manager. As a manager, ensure you are open to remove that barrier. Being open to feedback helps grow a culture of feedback that boosts trust among team members. Show your team that you are open to asking for and receiving feedback through all means. This way, you show your workers to be free to talk to you and give their feedback.

Listen More and Speak Less

When choosing your team as a manager, you ensure you choose the best and unique workers. When you ask them to give feedback and speak openly, ensure you listen to them truly. You build a relationship based on understanding and trust. Engaging in active listening training helps you improve your listening skills. You can do this by asking your workers questions that they can answer in detail for you to understand what they are saying. Create opportunities to listen to your workers every day by setting aside time for meetings where they can express how they feel about work. Be open to both positive and negative feedback whether you agree with it or not. You gain the trust of your workers.

Act on Feedback

As the voice of your team members, you should not just take their feedback but be willing to take action on it. That is how you build trust as a manager. For instance, an employee can be struggling where you can bring support and resources to help them. Feedback from your workers should also show you where your team is strong and where it needs improvement. This allows you to act on weak areas. Ensure you communicate with your team to decide on the best action to take to improve their experience at work. This promotes transparency and makes your workers feel valued.

Empower Your Workers

By empowering your team members you show them you trust them, so they trust you back. For example, you can invite them to attend a meeting they wouldn’t attend. You add to the extra responsibilities and they value the trust you show them. Workers don’t want to be looked over their shoulders. They’d rather work under minimum supervision and feel trusted enough. This shows you trust their knowledge and experience. Show them you trust they can work on their own and you’re always there if they need you.

Boost Coaching

Coaching your workers is a great way to grow their careers. You should not wait for your employees to do a poor job but you should coach them to meet your expectations. This makes them trust you and listen to you. Workers look to their managers for learning and development, support, and encouragement. Guide your team on their career ladder by not just being a manager. You improve your relationships and build trust.

Be Consistent

Being a manager, every day you give instructions to your workers. By practicing what you tell them, they trust that you are going to deliver and know what to expect. For example, you cannot tell them to show up on time and you don’t yourself. Being a leader by example makes your workers trust that you are going to keep your word. You prove to be consistent.

Check on Nonverbal Communication Skills

Checking the nonverbal communication skills of your workers is also important. These include their personality traits, attitude, and behaviors. When your workers are talking to you, make eye contact with them and nod rather than checking your phone or computer. You show them that you are interested in what they are saying. Demonstrate positive body language and be empathetic and patient. You create an environment welcoming to solve problems and to approach you. When your team feels comfortable around you, they will trust you.

Create a Culture of Inclusivity

Having a strong company culture leads to strong performance. Your company culture should have qualities like appreciation and teamwork. An inclusive culture accepts and values the strengths of all workers. A culture that welcomes everyone at your workplace is crucial in building trust. An inclusive culture focuses on equal pay and benefits, information accessibility, and diverse education and training. Moreover, you can create employee networks where workers meet based on similar identities or life experiences.

Thank Your Workers

Saying “Thank You” to your team members might seem like a small gesture. However, your team needs to know you appreciate the job they do. Ensure you thank your employees regularly. Another thing, you can praise in public but criticizing should be done privately. By doing this, you build a strong relationship with your team.

By following these ways, you are sure to build trust as a manager. Building strong relationships and trust with your team helps you build a strong company culture. And, a company with strong company culture is successful and encourages workers to give their all.         

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