Lack of trust in our organizations is a huge and well-known problem. However, trust is often mixed up with reliability. Reliability, keeping promises, delivering high-quality work on time, etc., are all important, but trust goes deeper. Trust is an acknowledgment that we are not in control of every single thing in our lives and that we still believe that everything will be all right in the end.
Trust is good for business. Trust stimulates oxytocin production, which in turn enhances our feelings of relaxation, well-being, social interactions, growth, and healing. Trust is linked to higher productivity, engagement, satisfaction with our lives, and fewer burn-outs.
Still, most organizations have done little to increase trust, most likely because they aren’t sure where to start. We would say a good start is to include emotional intelligence and mindfulness practice in training provided to leaders and coworkers. Other trust builders include; sharing all information as transparently as possible, demonstrating that mistakes are welcome, and building relationships intentionally as a part of the work being done.
Trust is a powerful enabler.
