I recently learned some uncomfortable news that will likely make many business owners and managers cringe: If you’re leading a company, there’s a good chance your employees don’t trust you.
According to a recent Gallup poll, only 23% of U.S. employees strongly agree that they trust their organizations’ leadership.
Why does this matter? Well, the Gallup research also reveals that those who strongly trust their organizations’ leadership are four times more engaged and 58% less likely to be actively seeking new jobs.
Turnover is expensive and attracting talent remains a major challenge, so trust in the workplace is imperative to the success of your teams and your business.
In February I took part in a virtual Think Tank presented by Fred Johnson, founder of IniativeOne Leadership Institute in Green Bay. Johnson made the case that the old leadership pillars of authority, knowledge and information have been replaced with authenticity, transparency and vulnerability.
“Vulnerability is the essence of building genuine relationships,” Johnson said during the Feb. 9 event.
But what does vulnerability look like for today’s leaders? Johnson stressed vulnerability is not weakness. Vulnerability can be:
- Admitting when you make a mistake and apologizing for it
- Showing compassion to your team members
- Acknowledging you don’t have all the answers and asking for help
- Sharing ideas even when they differ from the team’s viewpoint
- Initiating difficult conversations and providing honest feedback
The payoff of leaning into the discomfort of vulnerability is immense. Vulnerability leads to trust and psychological safety. This creates space for new ideas to be shared without judgment and, when this happens, true innovation can occur.
The good news is, trust in organizational leaders has been rising since it sharply declined during the pandemic — but there is still room for improvement. For today’s leaders, the act of vulnerability can feel like a major risk, but effective leaders who inspire confidence in their teams are the ones who win in today’s business climate.
