Samantha Noonan says you will never get what you want and need from people if you cannot first convince them you are trustworthy.
Do you ever get the feeling they aren’t telling you everything?
That the people you are working with or people you are working for are not being transparent?
It can be quite a predicament.
The key reason is trust.
Trust is what makes you vulnerable and trust can be broken, resulting in people putting up walls to protect themselves.
Trust is hard to earn and even harder to repair.
So how do you earn enough trust to enable transparency and open doors for you to be helpful?
As part of my standard New Year reviews, I reflected on my stakeholder relationships.
I’ll be honest, they are some of the most difficult stakeholders I have had to deal with in my career.
These relationships had me thinking…how do I build trust with someone so that I am given permission to look ‘under the hood’ and deep dive into their department so I can help them?
The answer is simple but not easy either.
I have these simple rules that I apply to any situation, personal or work related.
Transparency:
Be open with your observations, feedback and opinions.
Communicate them tactfully but also in a timely and purposeful way.
Relationships:
Build a relationship with those that you work with or those that are influencers in your work.
Like any relationship, get to know the person behind the role.
It takes time, so make the conscious decision to invest and to learn about what makes people tick.
Never assume you know their opinion, experience or passions as you will mostly be missing out on an opportunity or solution they can bring to the table.
Action:
Do what you say and follow through.
Actions speak louder than words. If you are good at what you do, it will speak for itself.
Be helpful:
Ask them, what can I do for you?
No agendas, just be helpful and supportive, even if it’s just a supportive ear to listen.
Be authentic:
We can all spot a fake, so why try to be someone you are not?
I’d like to leave you with two questions for your reflection.
How do you build trust? And how do you trust others?
*Samantha Noonan is a Melbourne-based leader who shows individuals how to grow and foster an environment that enables them to thrive. She can be contacted at linkedin.com
This article first appeared on LinkedIn.
