Just imagine being in a relationship … any relationship … where you lack a feeling of trust in another person. F
or sure this is a challenge and even potentially dooms the desired success. Now envision this in your workplace and specifically in your department, your team or even the overall leadership you are paid to follow and support. Do you trust those around you providing direction or leadership? If not … success is limited or basically AWOL.
In coaching an individual in an organization, what often comes up as a root cause of their frustration or unhappiness is the lack of trust in another or others. It serves to undermine the person’s desire and willingness to apply themselves to be and do their very best. In fact, it is t
his missing trust that is the forerunner of turnover that occurs when someone feels they can’t or won’t continue to extend effort needed to achieve the intended goals. And it’s a well-known fact that turnover and the resulting need to find and recruit new employees is so very costly in addition to the impact on morale that it makes sense to work hard to avoid this.
Waiting until the lack of trust becomes so evident that it appears to have no resolution doesn’t serve anyone of us … the company as a whole or certainly the individual. However, by recognizing some of the indicators to a lack of basic trust can allow anyone to address it before it moves to what appears to be an irreparable state. In writing for Psychology Today, Nan S Russell authored an article entitled Trust: The New Workplace Currency. She points to 10 yellow flag conditions that indicate an existing lack of trust as follows:
- People only doing what needs to be done or what’s asked of them, nothing more
- There’s a silo mentality, with limited collaboration, cooperation, and information sharing between departments
- Safe decision making with only limited or mediocre innovation is typical. Thoughtful risk-taking is the exception
- Complaining, finger-pointing, and blaming, with little personal accountability, ownership of mistakes, or stepping up to take on responsibilities is commonplace
- Highly competitive behaviors exist with aggressive opposition or blocking of others’ ideas
- Pertinent information that’s needed is withheld thus hindering good decision making
- Alignment between words and actions is not the norm and even key decision makers say one thing and do another
- Rumors come true more often than not since official communications operate with a last-century-spin-mentality, and transparency is for other people
- Policies, systems, and procedures are grounded in a belief that, for the most part, employees can’t be trusted, and need to be prodded, monitored, and controlled
- Top down command is the preferred style and most who lead believe influence comes with their titles, not realizing right behaviors, not right titles, drive results
It’s fairly safe to presume that you, the reader, may well be seeing any of the above indicators in your workplace. The question is what can you do about it so that you can remain enthusiastic and committed to helping both your organization and you succeed? It’s simple. Bring it to the attention of someone who can help affect the change you want and need. Is it HR? Is it the person in whom you lack the trust? 
What’s important is that we find someone … anyone … who will be open to hearing the concern and either take action or make suggestions as to what you can do. Very often … in fact most often, the person creating your lack of trust is quite unaware of things they are doing that actually undermine their intention. Don’t be surprised when you get a real “Thank You”.
Mike Dorman
leader and, of course, your goal is to be as effective as you can be in order to get the job done with maximized success. It’s what your organization expects of you, what you expect of yourself and what those you are charged with leading hope you will provide. And yet, managing is comprised of doing things the right or wrong way and that clearly impacts the ultimate success you achieve. It’s the learner within that allows us to excel in our role.
erfect’ manager. And when we are given the leadership role, it is often because we demonstrate certain qualities that the ‘bosses’ believe will enable us to be effective. So that’s a good starting place. 
structures, organized and interactive with participants. As an effective manager it is our responsibility to decipher information into content relative to our team and project and then deliver it effectively without wasting time or resources. Just having a meeting without clear purpose or need subjects us as leaders to mockery and thus, discredits us. In turn, this leads to a lack of respect and hurts our ability to reach our objectives as a team.
unities and are actively testing the job market. This is especially true today when unemployment is at its’ current low level. The intimidating boss actually believes that employees should be grateful to have a job and would do anything to keep it. That manager doesn’t understand the true cost associated with aimless firing and provoking cause for someone to quit (the cost of which is estimated to 150% of that person’s salary).
xpect that anyone reading this will argue with the importance of being the most effective leader in order to achieve the most effective and desired outcomes. Numerous books and articles are written by the experts that support the belief that the very best leaders consider themselves to be ongoing learners. And it’s not just learning from the books, the courses or the bosses … it’s also learning from those we lead. We are put into leadership positions for many reasons however one of them is not because we have all the answers and know more than anyone we lead. What is necessary is our ability to be vulnerable and open to what we can learn and do better tomorrow.
beyond their own wildest imagine. Perhaps they saved a life by getting another out of a burning house … or broke some performance record on a field … or invented something that would impact the lives of millions.
keep my head to the grindstone
is. And the most encouraging aspect of his writing is the realization that extraordinary doesn’t require genius. It only requires that we, as ordinary people, put out the extra effort, little by little, until what we are doing and accomplishing is truly extraordinary. So simple right? Actually as Kashyap presents it, it is quite straight-forward. Here are the steps he identifies that can make the difference and move us toward our true goals:
movement successfully requires a willingness to push ourselves into the land of the unknown. Those of us determined to perform at this level accept the discomfort as a price for achieving the goals we have set for ourselves.
The one ingredient that is a must is our 100% conviction to become extraordinary. To the extent that we can visualize such we have won half of the battle. Be relentless, stubborn and obsessed. Anyone can become extraordinary — both in personal and professional lives. It just comes down to asking yourself this simple question: What would an extraordinary business professional, leader, teacher, father or whatever you aspire to become do today? Then go and do it the extraordinary way.
this is critical. And making it happen just requires the added action steps that will move us from good to great … from ordinary to extraordinary. It’s our individual and personal choice and being that we are all just ordinary people, how exciting to realize that we can go sky-high just because we made up our mind to do so and are willing to put in that extra effort. What a great way to begin the year!!
they? In the overall they can be seen as jinxed resolutions from the start. Statistics reveal that the lion’s share of all resolutions are gone … kaput … by the end of the first week of January!
at the gym 4 times a week … I will work out Tuesday, Thursday. Saturday and Sunday for 60 minutes each time. Rather than I am going to earn a raise and advance my position at work … I am going to find out what would be expected of me to warrant a raise and promotion at the company and then create the specific plan to do the needed learning and improvement.
reaching an important goal is often accomplished through a series of steps and some of these will be missteps. Still, there is beneficial learning that we will need and should value as we move toward our goals. 
involving steps that we need to take to get it done! Treating our personal goals related to any and every aspect of our lives should be approached the same way. Just resolving to replace our often jinxed New Year’s resolutions with a meaningful, measurable and reasonable plan will make a huge difference.
learning that will result in an overall improved performance. It facilitates opportunities for general performance growth and development. At least, this is how feedback is supposed to work. As many are only too glad to report, what they experience is not motivating in a positive way and in fact, is often dreaded by both the giver and the recipient.
to make this happen. Just make the request that you would like to meet … i.e. monthly or quarterly … so as to be able to chart your own progress and related value to your position and the company. If done the right way reviews will move from a thing of dread and resistance to one of valuable anticipation. Now make it happen and at least, try it.