How to build trust as a Leader: 3 habits that make a big impact
If you want to lead well, start with trust. It’s not a soft skill, it’s a core skill. With trust, people open up, collaborate better, are more engaged and perform more effectively.
Here’s how to build trust as a leader using three habits grounded in emotional intelligence. Practical, simple, and high-impact.
1. Show you’re human: Lead with vulnerability
You don’t need all the answers. In fact, pretending you do can start to erode trust.
One of the quickest ways to build trust is to admit what you don’t know and ask for input. It’s the very opposite of weakness, it’s emotional intelligence in leadership.
When leaders ask for help, advice or tips from their teams, it releases oxytocin, the brain’s trust chemical, creating connection and safety. (And in fact, asking for help, advice or tips is a much better way to get honest input from your team instead of asking for ‘feedback’!)
Next time you're unsure, say so. Then ask, “What would you do?” It invites collaboration and signals trust in your team.
Asking others and inviting their opinions is a hallmark of Daniel’s Golemans’ ‘Participative’ leadership style (originally described as the ‘Democratic’ style), one of the 4 styles that are proven to get strong results based on research of over 3000 leaders.
2. Recognise what’s working: Catch people doing things right
Want more trust? Shine a light on what people are doing well.
Praise and recognition isn’t a fluffy extra, it does 2 key things:
- It provides them with clarity on what’s valued and needed
- It’s a psychological boost that builds trust fast
Leaders often ask on our development programmes, “won’t it start to be devalued over time if I give too much praise?”. Great question to ask. Perhaps generic praise for everyday tasks, or if it’s said as a throwaway comment.
So, try and be as specific as you can. That way, they know precisely what you’re praising and why.
For example: instead of “great job in the meeting”, you’d say “I really appreciated your contributions in the meeting today. They helped get the team unstuck and gave us a different perspective to consider”
Or instead of saying in a 1-1 “Thanks for your support this month”, you’d say “You’ve worked hard to meet all the deadlines, which means we’re on track with the project. I appreciate how you’ve communicated with me and kept me up to date”
When you give any meaningful feedback, either positive or corrective, it has a profound impact. According to research from Gallup and Workhuman, employees who strongly agree they receive valuable feedback are five times more likely to be engaged.
3. Be as open as you can: Transparent leadership
Trust grows when leaders share what’s going on, explain their decisions, and show their thinking, even when the answer is “we don’t know yet.”
It’s another hallmark of emotional intelligence in leadership, being aware of how your words (or silence) are received.
Try saying something like: “Here’s what I was considering and here’s why I’ve decided X”
It builds credibility, keeps your team informed and helps them to understand more about you and the way you think, so they in turn can work with you more effectively.
And remember that you’ll be in way more meetings and privy to way more information than your team, so sharing what you can regularly is critical to help them do their jobs and stay engaged.
When people are left in the dark, they fill in the gaps and create their own story!
You may already think you’re communicating clearly, but your team might have a different perspective.
According to the CIPD, just 51% of employees feel their managers keep them informed, and that’s only from those who don’t experience conflict at work! When they experience conflict, it dips to only 35%.
Leadership that builds trust, one habit at a time
Putting these 3 simple habits in place will have a significant impact on your team.
- Be human and ask for input or advice. None of us have all the answers.
- Recognise and celebrate the good work.
- Share what’s going on, both around the business and in your head.
If you want more support on building trust and developing emotional intelligence as a leader, they’re core components of our Lead! Programme. You can download the brochure for all our training programmes here.