Inspiring trust

Inspiring trust

Trust is an integral outcome within the organizational setting. Covey (2008) describes trust as confidence. The researcher purports that, when one has trust in people, he or she has confidence in their abilities and integrity. In this paper, the dynamics of trust within the business environment are discussed at the personal experience/opinion level. The study takes the standpoint that all leaders at distinct organizational levels have a shared responsibility for promoting and maintaining a culture of trust.

The role of the unit manager in solving a lack of trust

The unit manager should be at the forefront if a lack of trust in the department ensues. The unit manager must act by encouraging every worker in the unit to open up their issues. According to Convey (2008), the unit manager should lead by example. He or she should take the initiative to state what appeals to him or her in the department and what does not. As Convey (2008) relates, the essence is to show everyone that the unit manager does not have any hidden agenda. Instead, he or she is sincere and trying to do what is right for the organization. Such a practice might allow the departmental members to express and discuss their concerns at full length. This helps in renewing the employees’ feelings of hope as well as excitement, hence restored trust.

Restoring trust between the administrators and the employees

About two years ago, there was a growing division between the salespeople and the administrators. The administrative personnel in the company were distrustful of the commitment of the salespeople due to diminishing performance. The salespeople became overly discontent with the back-office personnel as they knew that they were working concertedly hard to meet their targets. They felt that they were being victimized for the falling organizational performance.

Consequently, the conflict between the salespeople and the administrators became toxic. The human resource manager, however, worked to restore trust in the department. In such a situation, Convey (2008) claims that what is needed is setting up a clear mutual goal and accountability to it. This is indeed what happened. The human resource manager convened a departmental meeting and required each salesperson and back-office members to attend.

After a lengthy discussion, the human resource manager recommended that the administrators take some days off the office and accompany the salespeople in the field. The human resource manager also requested the back-office personnel to try executing the tasks performed by the salespeople. This goal was agreed upon by all. Within three weeks, trust between the two groups of workers had been restored. The members of the back-office realized that the skills the salespeople had were unique and needed to be respected. Therefore, they developed confidence in the ability and integrity of the salespeople, which then helped to restore the organizational performance, albeit gradually.

Incorporating one’s leadership style and the way to deal with change and conflict to develop a position of high trust and credibility

 I believe that my leadership style aligns closely with transformational leadership. This is primarily because I always aspire to work with others to identify the needed change, come up with a vision to guide the change, inspiring others to accomplish this vision, and executing the change in tandem with the most committed parties. As a transformational leader, I would promote a culture of trust by pursuing shared values during times of change and conflicts. Indeed, Gillespie and Mann (2004) claim that’s shared values, which is one of the key aspects of transformational leadership, serves as building blocks for trust. I would strive to consult the team members or parties to a conflict when making most decisions, especially those affecting them. I would also ensure that the values created are representative of everyone’s interest. This requires me to give everyone a voice, and taking each person’s concern, opinion, suggestion into consideration. Such mutuality guarantees sustainable interpersonal trust throughout the organization.