7 Tips (and supportive coaching questions) to driving high performance through trust
I know through my own work as a coach and my own experiences that trust is an important ingredient to build a healthy work environment to success.
I have seen the detrimental affects of not having trust and also the importance of having beyond trust in a high threat environments in the Army.
For me trust and integrity are the starting points to success and without it you may get short term gain in pockets across the business but the medium and long term sustainability of the business model may come into question when it really matters.
Here is where you can make real impact as a leader, head of people and or professional internally or externally to a client.
- Assess and align values
Individual professionals, teams and departments will all have their own way of doing things (sometimes described as culture) but its the aligning of thoughts, values and beliefs where the real impact can be had.
When recruiting and selecting for any internal or external professional identify the values that you are aspiring to have to support trust and then use this as a selection criteria (however short the contract).
New teams and the ongoing development of other teams are fantastic opportunities to take the time to build trust through discussion, games and pulling together what the working contract (of how they are going to operate) of trust is.
What are your values?
How does your trust align with that of those you work with and clients you work to?
2. Deliver consistently to your customers
We all know from experience if a product or service is consistently delivered and does what it says trust is created. And as life is busy we continue to use this product or service. So deliver consistently and the revenue will follow.
What can you do for consistency to happen?
Have you a mechanism in place to assess whether you have consistency measurement with clients?
3. Be honest
I like nothing more than people being honest. For me I can forgive a little for what may or may not have happened. Its when people fluff up something to soften the blow which is really irritating.
We can never predict everything that happens and as we are human things sometimes get forgotten. Being honest with clients allows a bridge of trust to be created.
How have you been honest in the past?
Where has honesty built trust?
What can you do now to be honest and build trust?
4. Have a reliable product
Its not just consistency but reliability that will win the day. Can you rely on things happening when you want them to? With our lives being packed of ‘stuff’ reliability is a number 1 for me.
From that I have trust that I can get on with other ‘stuff’, increase my efficiency, to give impact and leave the product to do things at the same time.
What reliable product do you use? how does it make you feel?
What has been the impact of a change in reliability to what you do next?
What is reliable?
What are you doing in your role, team and business to ensure reliability?
5. Reward trust
When trust is so important its valuable that the behaviours to support building and maintaining trusting relationships are recognised.
Leaders, managers and each one of us as professionals have a role to play here.
We might know what it takes but do you show that in your behaviours?
What happens when the tide changes and you have to reorganise the roles in your business?
What do you do in the heat of the moment when time isnt on your side?
Do you maintain the trust behaviours?
6. Build and support trusting leaders
Im sure you have experienced a leader that you dont trust.
How does has this affected your work?
What happens to your health and your relationships?
Leaders are an important part of the foundations of trusting relationships. Identifying successful trusting leaders in your business can be a great starting point as role models.
Take the opportunity through all communications, leadership and management learning events and as example through senior leadership behaviours to ensure your trusting relationships are continually developed through the business. These interventions dont have to be labourious or difficult.
When you are a trusting leader what are you doing?
When you look at trusting leaders what do you see?
What can you do next that will improve your trust?
7. Make it clear when joining what trust is around here
When you start a new role or new to an organisation be curious about how people build trust. Hopefully you have explored some of this through the selection process but now is the time see it for real and find how you will make impact on this path.
What strategies have you used in the past to build trusting relationships?
How will you know you have some trusting relationships?
Finally as all part of this,
What is stopping you building greater trust in your business?
What can you do next to add trust to what you do?
What resources can support you get there?
Look forward to you sharing your thoughts on trust in business and how its benefitted or affected you.
I love rolling my sleeves up and getting under the skin of a significant challenge working with high energy, new and established teams (mostly entrepreneurs, tech and small businesses) to be productive, high performing and prosperous (healthy and happy).
Lizzie Rhodes James is a Performance Coach and Facilitator who specialises in helping teams and individuals exceed their potential at work and in life. Having successfully transitioned from a successful Army career into the Corporate world, Lizzie brings an exceptional and distinctive blend of discipline, focus and agility into her practice. Lizzie is also passionate about health and wellness, and adds a depth of thinking to align body and mind, enhancing overall performance and encouraging clients to transcend their limits.
