Congress received its lowest ratingever since Gallup began the poll in 1973. Only 10% of respondents said they have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in Congress.
STORY: Top workplaces share trust, camaraderie
COLUMN: You can learn to trust at work again
Those results may not really surprise many Americans, but they might be taken aback to learn in their own work life, their colleagues, bosses or employees may not trust them, either.
Another Gallup survey finds that only 30% of the 100 million full-time workers are actively engaged in their work. That lack of engagement stems from a lack of trust in an organization or a boss, says Nan S. Russell, author of Trust Inc.
Just as a lack of trust among lawmakers slows down business, so does a lack of trust and engagement in the workplace. Gallup estimates that the 70% of workers who are not engaged cost $450 billion to $550 billion a year in lost productivity.
In addition, disengaged and distrustful workers are less collaborative and innovative, Russell says.
"Part of the problem is that we always believe the lack of trust is someone else's problem," she says. "But the answer to developing better trust comes person to person."
That means that a boss who wants to develop more trust within his team doesn't wait for human resources or a corporate training program but instead moves ahead on his own to improve team members' confidence in one another.
"I think the biggest mistake people make when they think about trust is that they get it backwards," she says. "We look for people we can trust, instead of thinking about whether we are worthy of their trust. It's a mindset."
In her book, Russell addresses several issues, such as the kinds of behaviors that diminish trust. If you want to have more people trust you, she suggests you stop behaviors such as these:
&! amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;!--iframe-->
1. Piling on the hype. If you over promise and under deliver, it shows you don't take your words seriously — so no one trusts them.
2. Broadcasting distrust. Dictating to others and micromanaging can convey loudly and clearly that you don't trust others to do what needs to be done.
3. Avoiding responsibility. Maybe you wimp out, make excuses or blame others and refuse to apologize.
But such behavior doesn't portray you as a mature adult who can own his or her actions.
4. Spending too much time covering your behind. Hitting "reply all" and "cc-ing" your boss, your boss's boss and everyone else is not only annoying but shows that you don't trust anyone.
Such feelings also can infect the rest of your team.
5. Being a glory hog. Even if you worked really hard and put together a terrific project, chances are good that you were helped along the way by those offering pointers, ideas, resources and encouragement.
If you don't recognize others for the aid they offer, it reduces trust.
6. Spinning the truth. People have such a dismal opinion of politics right now, and much of it has to do with the spin that lawmakers seem to put on every issue.
Doing the same by deliberately misleading colleagues or being evasive can hurt your personal integrity and the trust others have in you.
7. Wimping out. When delivering a tough message, you hide behind texts or e-mails.
By not stepping up and personally communicating difficult information, you show you don't have what it takes to be trusted.
8. Abandoning self-control. We've all wanted to fire off nasty e-mails or make a snide remark, but personal integrity and professionalism generally hold us back.
If you let snarky comments fly, those personal attacks kill trust.
To engender trust, take actions that benefit someone else, genuinely care about others and be passionate about what you do, Russell says.
"It's all about w! ho you ar! e and how you show up," she says. "You give trust to get trust."
Anita Bruzzese is author of 45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy ... and How to Avoid Them, www.45things.com. Twitter: @AnitaBruzzese.
No comments:
Post a Comment