Trust and Commitment

One of the most necessary components of inspiring executive team commitment is TRUST.

Recently, the Thought Leadership League conducted a survey of executives asking what factors lead to a good culture. When asked to pick the factors that contribute to a great culture, 86% of all participants selected as one of the most important Executive Team Commitment (for full results.

The question is, how do we inspire executive team commitment? How do you get your executive team trust each other and commit to excellence?

Trust can be built or destroyed over time and is built in different ways. Leaders can engender trust by becoming aware of the concerns, aspirations, and circumstances of others. The reality is that we tend to trust our friends more than our enemies.

Trust can also be built through consistent exchange of knowledge and expertise. People trust leaders with deep expertise and knowledge because they project confidence in their ability to make informed decisions. We further build trust with others through consistency. When leaders are consistent and predictable, others acquire confidence and trust in them.

Finally, trust can be built from a leader’s rock-solid honesty and integrity. When direct reports know that they would never be told anything that is not 100 percent accurate and factual, they trust that leader. Consistency is the key to building this kind of trust.

Great companies don’t settle for good culture. They strive to be beyond good, beyond great, they strive to have an ELITE culture. The challenge is to push beyond the typical outline of what is good and to achieve a “best in class” attitude and action that permeates the whole organization. Elite trust can be achieved with great effort and collaboration.