In our prior Guidepost we covered the matter of growth from failure and how it can either enhance your future success or curtail it drastically. It is not easy to deal with failure or setbacks or even day-to-day business challenges. It seems like all leaders do is deal with the issues rather than working on growing the business.
Over the years we have watched various leaders take different approaches in dealing with the onslaught of issues which present themselves in their businesses. Each one of the challenges caused some kind of change to take place. Whether it be a change in policy, procedure or even simply reinvestment into following the existing way of doing business, they all seem to relate back to a thing called change.
Change is not something most of us like or feel comfortable with. Some leaders thrive on it and thus cause many additional challenges in their organization. Change is not always bad, and, in most cases, change helps move the business forward in a productive way. The issue with change is that people just don’t trust in the change or the people or reasons behind the change.
As leaders, how then can we enhance the acceptance of change in the workplace? The answer in words is simple. The actual practice and execution are not. As leaders we MUST build TRUST! For with trust, mistakes are growth, without trust everything is second guessed. Trust starts at the leadership level. If you do not trust your people, then you have the wrong people. If your people don’t trust you, then you don’t have the right people.
Your Culture, Purpose and Core Values define and express the level of trust that exists inside of your business. A weak culture causes an absence of accountability and therefore trust is placed in question. When a clear and concise expectation is outlined for the organization’s direction – Vision/Mission and every person understands and appreciates how they and their role contributes specifically to the organization then trust has a platform to build upon. When there is vagueness and absence of expectations and accountability then there is room for deception.
The business landscape is and always has been filled with change. We may feel it is coming at us ever more quickly and with greater demands, but change is guaranteed in all aspects of life. If change has always been here and is always going to be part of the landscape, then why not build a solid foundation of trust to allow it to be a building block to growth rather than an impediment to success?
This week as you engage your team, reach out to them, and find out if your culture has a level of trust and if so, where is it more prevalent? Where are the gaps in your trust platform so you as the leader can take specific action to build up that part of your change management system. We suspect that your line of questioning in and of itself will raise eyebrows and cause a concern of trust. That is your best indication that you have an opportunity to work on and build a better trust platform.
Trust is not built overnight or at the end of days or weeks. It is a culture commitment to allow for trust to grow into and be a key fabric in the growth of your organization as you deal with change.
As Your Partner in Progress, JKL Associates has been working with leaders for 30+ years on building trusted relationships. Our Promise Culture model brings all the necessary elements to the forefront of business success and provides a guidance system to navigate change. Don’t be intimidated by change, reach out to a Promise Guide for a no obligation conversation. If it is a proper fit, then let’s build together. We can be reached at MI (313) 527-7945 or FL (407) 984-7246
Journey On!
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Celebrating 30 years of Delivering on “Promises”
