When you want to be fulfilled Part Two: 4 factors to demonstrate trust

Last week we discussed something pretty fundamental -- civility. Our second factor for feeling fulfilled is equally as fundamental but challenging to achieve sometimes -- trust. Much has been written about trust. We know trust is central to strong relationships, be they professional, personal, parental, or romantic. Without trust, it isn't easy to have a healthy relationship.

So, what is trust exactly? I usually don't look to a dictionary, but in this case, I did. Trust is noted as: "a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something." Great words...I also found the addition of "a belief in character" when trusting an individual. 

At work, trust is even more specific. Managers have a great responsibility to ensure a healthy and engaging work environment, which means we need to set people up for success by allowing them to be their best selves, which takes trust. BetterUp, a coaching platform, describes two categories of trust in the workplace:

1. Practical, i.e., show up on time, meet deadlines, be reliable, get work done

2. Emotional, i.e., feeling respected, listening generously, networking with others, building bonds

This division helps describe how trust shows up tangibly and how it feels to be in a trustworthy relationship. If anyone has ever been through sales training of old, you might remember that making eye contact and a firm handshake, at least in American culture, are tangible ways to communicate trust. These are okay, but honestly, there are actions we can take that exude "I am trustworthy" and actions we can take to become trustworthy. 

Now, the argument that trust is earned and not given is an interesting one for me. I have thought about this a lot lately. Do we blindly hand over our trust at work, or should it be earned? Really....it should be both. 

In the manager-employee relationship, trust should be given at the outset to build the relationship. Sustaining trust is another matter. Sustaining trust must be based on practical and emotional actions, as BetterUp describes. 

We must assume good intent and start from a place of trust to be effective. I see the most strained relationships between managers and employees when someone believes their trust must be earned. You then put the other person on the defensive, constantly juggling and riding a unicycle at the same time to prove that they are worthy of your trust. This is a waste of time and creates bad feelings.

Instead, I would put time and effort into providing opportunities to reinforce and sustain trust. As a manager, there are four main ways to demonstrate trust, and not coincidentally, lead to greater engagement and satisfaction on the job. These four factors are essential for someone to feel fulfilled in their work. This level of trust is necessary for fulfillment to achieve.

1. Autonomy

A recent study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology explained how creating and experiencing autonomy may be the most crucial ingredient influencing day-to-day happiness. Whoa. That is significant. Nothing demonstrates trust more than allowing someone else to take the reins and operate independently. Some roles may not lend themselves to being completely autonomous, but as a manager, sit down and think about what areas of your team's work could be done with some autonomy and communicate that. There is no reason to keep this a secret. Most of us can't do whatever we want whenever we want. That is not autonomy. Autonomy means being empowered to execute work with minimal supervision. Even the most senior people need to check in and provide status reports. But, proactively look for decisions people can make on their own, projects they can lead or processes they can re-imagine. Feeling fulfilled on the job means taking ownership of the work and the outcome. If you want to read more on instilling autonomy, check out my blog from June.

2. Flexibility

Another big display of trust is providing people flexibility. When I wrote this in 2011, I wasn't necessarily thinking about working from home all the time or choosing the hours I work. Although, in recent times, where and when I work has become a big part of the flexibility picture. I was speaking more along the lines of extending the autonomy factor to mean being able to decide when I work on particular projects and how I might get them done. If we focus more on the desired outcomes, we should provide flexibility in how our teams get there. The hardest part for some managers is when people need to do things the way they would. Does it matter if they achieve the desired result in the expected timeframe and budget? Allowing flexibility in scheduling my days, meetings, and projects can lead to greater trust.

3. Confidence

Focusing on autonomy and flexibility will also generate confidence in your teams. Now, people can do things to instill confidence and credibility, but as a manager, we need to look for opportunities for our teams to build and sustain confidence in their abilities. The more you allow your team members to flourish, the more confidence they will gain in their abilities and strengths, which, if we remember from the dictionary, is the foundation of trust.

4. No Micromanagement

In my book, Succeed from the Middle, I have a whole section on micromanagement and how not to fall into this trap. Nothing squashes trust and confidence more than micromanaging your team member. Status updates, activity reports, and check-ins are not micro-management. I have counseled several managers on this point. Jumping in and doing the work for your team member, riding them on every topic, or standing on their shoulder checking the work is micro-management. Understanding the requests, projects, and efforts your team is working on is good management.

With so much burnout, quiet quitting, and anxiety in our lives today, I would say one of the essential elements that must be in place to reduce stress is trust. When trust exists, our environments are calmer, more civil, and more productive, and we set people up for success.

Trust begets trust, by the way; the more we give it, the more will be returned. Managers should focus on autonomy and flexibility to sustain trust in their team relationships. I also want to include that we should strive to be honest, fair, transparent, and forthcoming in our communications and interactions. We also want to exude integrity by standing up for what is right and honoring our commitments. All of these behaviors also sustain trust. 

Next week, we explore a related concept of safety to continue on our fulfillment journey.