The research on trust is very clear.

Leaders who are trusted are much more effective.

Teams that trust one another are more effective.

And organizations in which high levels of trust exist among employees are more effective.

This all starts with you as a leader.

Can people count on you to be honest with them and to tell the truth – the whole truth, without any “spinning?”

Do you have the best interest of your team in mind at all times?

When you are faced with a dilemma, can people count on you to work it out as best you can?

Do you speak up when you know it is the right thing to do?  And how about – when you know it may not be in your best interest to do so?

These are not easy things in a world that often rewards selfishness.  But if you can answer “yes” to these questions, then you are on the path to becoming a genuine leader of integrity.

What kind of leader do you want to be?

• Improve Public Speaking
• Practice Giving Effective Feedback
• Learn more about AI
• Get an MBA
• Become More Visionary
• Challenge the Process

These aren’t bad things to work on, but maybe you need to call a timeout and look at something even more fundamental.

How much do people trust you?

If you did a “Trust Audit” of your direct reports and your colleagues, how much would they say they trust you on a scale from 1 – 10; if they were being honest?

How can you improve the level of trust between yourself and others?  Here are some ideas:

*Show Respect to All People at All Times.  No exceptions.  Not just the bosses.  Everyone deserves to be treated with a high level of respect and human dignity all the time.

*Be Honest.  To quote a familiar line “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”  Be forthright.  Don’t hold back.

*Exit the Spin Zone.  Are you always trying to put the best “spin” on everything?  Stop it.  People can smell BS.  Be straight with everyone.

*Be Inclusive.  Go out of your way to get to know other people in your organization – especially if they are different than you.  Make sure that everyone is encouraged to share their ideas during meetings.

*Deliver Bad News Quickly and With Candor.  For example, if there are going to be layoffs and it is going to be tough for everyone – just put it out there in as caring way as you can.

*When You Make a Mistake, Apologize.  None of us are perfect.  When you make a mistake, own up to it immediately, and do your best to make it right.  Don’t play the blame game.

*Be Fair in Your Decisions.  Don’t play favorites.  When you have tough decisions to make, find some trusted people outside your organization who can give you feedback.

You can build trust over a period of years, but it can be shattered in moments.  Be vigilant to maintain your honesty and focus in your relationships with others.  A high level of trust between you and others will make you a more effective leader and, more importantly, a better person.

Legitimacy is one of the things that separates a good leader from an exceptionally effective one.

As per a recent article in Harvard Business Review:

“A legitimate leader engenders good will and a feeling of personal connection with followers. . . (Leaders) who enjoy legitimacy can motivate loyalty and inspire confidence.  They can mobilize others to rise beyond minimum job requirements and give it their all.”

That’s a powerful statement!  What can you do to build your legitimacy?  Here are seven behaviors suggested by the article.

*Behave with Integrity.  Be honest in all of your dealings with everyone.  Respect all people.  Tell the truth with candor.  This single behavior will go a long way to building your legitimacy.

*Focus on Sense of Purpose.  Why are we here and what difference do we want to make?  Make this your singular focus.  Check out this blog on the great book, Leading with Noble Purpose to learn more about this.

*Put the Organization Above Yourself.  This job is not about you – how you look or how you are perceived.  Don’t let your ego get confused about that.

*Show Authenticity.  If you make mistakes – and you will – own them.  Seek feedback from others.  Don’t pretend to be perfect.  Show people that you want to improve.

*Communicate Clearly.  Communicate with purpose.  Connect your plans and activities to mission.  Don’t use jargon.  Talk straight.

*Demonstrate Fairness.  Don’t get wrapped up in politics.  Be just and caring in the decisions you need to make.  Be sure to get input from a broad set of stakeholders.

*Stay Grounded.  Stay humble and approachable.  Yes, you are busy – but so is everyone else.  Make time to meet with people from across the organization.  You are not so cool that you do not have time to do that.

It is especially powerful when you can exhibit these behaviors from Day #1 on your job.  You can build on them no matter how many years you have been in your current position – it just may take more time to change your reputation in certain areas.

If you are fortunate enough to experience some success in your role, especially remember to Stay Grounded.  Don’t let success give you a big head.  If you do, it will undermine all of the work you have done up to this point.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Nohria, N. “How New CEOs Establish Legitimacy,” Harvard Business Review online, June 7, 2023.

Maybe it was hard to put your finger on why, so you just chalked it up to mismatch of personalities.  Or maybe you’re leading a team that doesn’t seem to trust you!  What’s behind that?  A forthcoming book by Sandra Sucher and Shalene Gupta can help you diagnose the reasons behind not trusting – or not being trusted – and give you advice for moving forward.

According to the authors, legitimacy and competency are the foundation or “table stakes” of trust.

Legitimacy is about how or why you were chosen for the position.  Was there a thorough search process that found you to be the most qualified person for the role?  Or were you brought in from the outside because the person who is now your boss knew you and trusted you?  If it was the latter, that doesn’t mean you aren’t qualified, but it does mean that a fundamental component of trust will be in question when your team sizes you up.  You’ll likely have some trust-building to do.

If you aren’t competent at your job already, you need to get there – fast.  Taking steps to understand areas of the role that you haven’t previously mastered, admitting your blind spots, and having a growth mindset will not only increase your competency, but make explicit to your team that competency matters to you.

But those are just the foundation for being a trusted leader.  If you want to achieve the productivity that come to teams with high levels of trust, you need to check the ethical or moral domain of trust:  your motives, your means and your impact.

Motives:  Motives are the “why” behind what you do.  Every leader has to make trade-offs that will serve the interests of some stakeholders over the interests of others.  Be aware of the tradeoffs you make, and be explicit with your team on why you’re making those tradeoffs.  Talking through your decisions – such as why you are coming down on the side of employees over the needs of customers – not only help your team understand why you’re doing what you’re doing, but also help them learn how you expect them to make decisions going forward.  If one of your explanations sounds self-serving, then it probably is.  Your team will likely notice that whether you say it aloud or not – and their trust may be the price you pay.

Means.  What rules exist for your organization and your team?  How do you get things done?  For instance, how do vacation or shift schedules get determined?  Do the department favorites pick their spots first and others get what’s leftover?  How are outcomes — such as sales — achieved?  In any manner possible?  Or only through an honest, collaborative sales process?  The “how” of how things get done and how rules get made is a key driver of trust.

Impact.  What impact do you and your decisions have on those around you?  Whether your impact is intended or not, you need to acknowledge and take responsibility for that impact in order to earn the full trust of those who work for you.

Next time you feel trust is lacking, run down this list of components – and then put your effort in to rebuilding and regaining the trust of your team.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Sucher, S. J. and Gupta, S.  “Leading with Trust,” Harvard Business Review online, July 17, 2019.  Their book The Power of Trust:  How Companies Build It, Lose It, and Regain It is out July 6, 2021.

The author of a recent article in Harvard Business Review suggests that we are in the midst of an “ethical revolution” in which leaders and organizations are held more accountable for their behavior.

We can all be part of this “revolution” by using some of these ideas to help make integrity more than a written code of ethics.

*Leadership, Leadership, Leadership.  Nothing important happens in an organization without strong leadership.  And it is needed at every level.  Top leaders should role model that.  However, if they don’t then that does not have to stop you from role modeling it with your team.

*Create a Unique Ethics Code.  Reach out across your organization: “It is time to update our values statement and ethics code – we want everyone’s input.”  Hold town halls, offer surveys, present drafts for comment.  The process will be more important than the actual final statement.

*Talk About Ethics During Decision Making.  People are generally pretty good at asking “Will it make money?” and even “Is it legal?”  But beyond that, regularly add to the conversation “Is it the right thing to do?”

*Repetition Matters.  Start with employee orientation and regularly include discussions about the importance of the organization’s values at every level.  Talk about how proud you are to be an organization of integrity.

*Hold People Accountable.  If people violate the code, they need to be held accountable.  Otherwise, word will spread quickly that the ethics code does not really mean anything.  It will lead to cynicism and your best people could end up leaving.

Customers want to be associated with companies with integrity.  A few years ago, when Volkswagen was going through a scandal, I saw a VW car with a homemade bumper stick the owner put on next to the VW logo in back that read “LIARS.”  I am sure it was not long before that car was sold.

Employees want to be proud of where they work – of the quality of their products/services and the ethics of their team.  Use these ideas to build an organization that truly values integrity.

Ideas for this blog taken from: Chestnut, R.  “How to Build a Company that (Actually) Values Integrity,”  Harvard Business Review online, July 30, 2020.

But exactly how do you build trust?

Being an honest and respectful person is certainly a very important beginning to building trust with others.  But, according to a new article in Harvard Business Review*, there are some additional important drivers:

People tend to trust you when they believe they are interacting with the real you (authenticity), when they have faith in your judgment and competence (logic), and when they feel that you care about them (empathy). When trust is lost, it can almost always be traced back to a breakdown in one of these three drivers.

Empathy.  This is a big derailer for a lot of leaders.  If people think you care more about yourself than about others, they won’t trust you enough to lead them.  Some “hard charging” leaders are, for example, are impatient in meetings.  They find it hard to listen to others.  But, if you signal that you matter more than everyone else, why should anyone trust the direction you’re going in? What’s in it for the rest of us to come along? There’s a basic solution to this problem. Instead of focusing on what you need in that meeting, work to ensure that everyone else gets what they need.  Another great tip from the authors: put your phone away during meetings; totally away – pay attention to others.

Logic.  This competency refers to your ability to explain your ideas clearly and rigorously.  In the Smith School Executive MBA program we would call this your Critical Thinking skills.  Take the time to outline the logic of your proposals and make sure that they are data driven.  Explain your idea and then provide the evidence/data.  Ask trusted advisors to review your proposals and provide critical feedback before sharing more widely.

Authenticity.  Who is the “real you?”  Do you let this shine in your workplace?  If not, people will sooner or later figure this out.  When people sense that you’re concealing the truth or being less than authentic, they’re far less willing to make themselves vulnerable to you in the ways that leadership demands.  The authors encourage us to pay less attention to what we think others want to hear and more attention to what you need to say to them.

We know that trust is vitally important for our success as leaders and these three “drivers” provide us with some excellent insights to continue to improve our overall success as leaders.

*Frei, F. and Morriss, A.  “Begin with Trust,” Harvard Business Review, May – June, 2020.

The current environment is a lot like a whitewater raft voyage:

*Lots of unknowns – who knows what is around the next corner?

*Ups and downs – excitement after one challenge is met, but then there is another one ahead.

*Everyone on the team is needed to help steer – one person cannot do it alone.

We have a fabulous Executive MBA Staff Team at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at University of Maryland, which I am very fortunate to be a part of.  While everyone on the team reports up through me, they are all steering the whitewater raft we find ourselves in.

During a recent challenge, I sent out a note to the group with my idea on how I thought we should proceed – and then we met.  Perspectives were shared that I had not thought of.  Through dialogue, we came up with a decision that none of us had in mind when we walked in the door to meet.  I thought this was so very cool.  How did this happen?

Aside from the fact that it is a group of great individuals, I looked back at notes from our staff retreat this past summer where we listed our “Behaviors to Support Our Success” and three of them jumped out to me:

*Effective Communication – which included Open Lines of Communication with One Another

*Willingness to Collaborate

*Be Fun & Light-hearted

These are aspirational and we can always do better.  But if we continue to remember these ideas, and our other norms, I think we can successfully navigate the unknowns ahead.  For me, I need to remember that it is not my job to have all the answers, but to facilitate group problem-solving.

We need to trust one another and hold on – there are more rapids ahead!

*48% intentionally decreased their work effort

*38% intentionally decreased the quality of their work

*80% lost work time worrying about the incident

*78% said their commitment to the organization declined

*25% admitted taking their frustration out on customers

Here is what can you do, as a leader, to foster civility and keep yourself in check:

*Model good behavior.  As a leader, people are constantly watching you and what you do.  Make sure to be respectful, appreciative, and a model of ethical behavior.

*Ask for feedback.  Tell your team that you know you can constantly improve and ask for their input.

*Hire for civility.  Ask everyone who meets candidates to comment on their fit with the culture.  Be sure to look into the background of candidates to see if they have had a track record of incivility.  Sometimes this will take some extra effort.

*Teach civility.  You have to explain everything to some people.  A simple workshop on civility with examples of civility and incivility can make it clear to people.

*Create group norms.  Make civility a part of the culture.  Talk about it during interviews and orientation, for example.  “This is a great place to work.  For example, it is a place where everyone can count on being treated with respect.”

*Reward good behavior.  Collegiality should be considered in performance reviews.  And if you witness bad behavior, address it immediately.  If the behavior continues, you may need to let someone go.

Just one habitually offensive employee – no matter how talented they may be in other ways – can corrode the organization and its culture.  The costs are very high.  Leaders need to be proactive in promoting civility and help build a culture of engaged, high performing employees.

*Porath, C. & Pearson, C.  “The Price of Incivility,” Harvard Business Review, January – February 2013, pp. 115 – 121.

We all know stories of whistleblowers or change agents who Speak Up – and then things don’t go so well for them.  But what about the ones that are successful?  What do they have in common?

A recent article* in Harvard Business Review suggests that there are four behaviors that people who, first, have the Courage to Speak Up, and then are able to successfully make a difference – without serious consequences for themselves.  Here are the behaviors that the article refers to as those who are “competently courageous” exhibit:

*Laying the Groundwork.  Build a reputation for being excellent in your job.  Further, develop a reputation for being someone who is honest and can be trusted.  A reputation with these two attributes sets you up to be listened to when you are ready to Speak Up.

*Choosing Your Battles.  If you Speak Up about every little thing then – in time – people may think of you as a chronic complainer.  Ask yourself how important the issue really is.  Also, people who are “competently courageous” have excellent timing.  Make sure that the situation it right for Speaking Up.

*Persuading in the Moment.  Be prepared to make your case!  Frame the issue in a context that is appealing – such as the best long term interest of the organization.  Use data to support your assertions.  And keep cool – manage your emotions.  If others react emotionally, then stick to your facts and don’t escalate emotionally.

*Following Up.  Your Speak Up moment is only the beginning.  Pay attention to relationships and follow-up with people to make sure they understand your intent.  Build momentum and alliances with others you think will support your case.

The Courage to Speak Up does not comes without risks – that is why it takes courage.  But following these guidelines can help you stay true to your values and make the risks you take worth the challenge.

*“Cultivating Everyday Courage,” Detert, J. R.  Harvard Business Review, November-December, 2018, pp. 128-135.

As humans, we are subject to cognitive biases as we make ethical decisions.  Understanding these biases and watching out for them can help you achieve your goal of being an ethical leader.  Here are some “traps” to watch out for:*

*The Slippery Slope: Slow, incremental changes – such as allowing a minor infraction, by yourself or others, can grow over time into a big problem.  To guard against this be vigilant for even the smallest ethical issue.

*Motivated Blindness: We can sometimes overlook the unethical behavior of others when it is in our best interest to do so.  This self-serving bias can affect other decisions as well.  If you have a decision to make that involves a conflict of interest, then get the input from a trusted outsider.

*Ill-Conceived Goals: Incentivizing behavior for performance is not a bad thing, but requires leaders to be even more clear about the ethical standards that must be followed in their pursuit.  You don’t want to have a Wells Fargo experience.

*Indirect Blindness:  This is when we turn a “blind eye” to how a colleague might carry out a task when we have delegated it or outsourced it to a third party.  When handing off a responsibility, take the extra step to identify possible ethical challenges that might exist and how those would be handled.

Any time we see that we might be subject to one of these “traps” it is wise to slow down the process and seek the advice of two or three other people whom you trust.  While our human nature makes us subject to these “traps,” being aware of them and taking these suggested actions can help us be even more effective ethical leaders.

*Content for this blog comes mostly from “Ethical Breakdowns,” Bazerman, M.H. and Tenbrunsel, Harvard Business Review, April 2011.