Written by: Nicole Lucas, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do you trust me? In this article, you’ll discover how trust is essential to a leader creating and sustaining a healthy workplace culture.
Have you ever dug into Edelman’s Trust Barometer reports? The findings are both insightful and staggering. If I were to summarize the content in many of them, I would say this: More than half the population won’t trust you until they see evidence of your trustworthiness.
As leaders in the workplace, this truth is crucial to grasp because if people don’t trust us, they won’t follow us.
Consistency creates culture
Do you believe that consistency creates a culture for better (trust) and for worse (distrust)? Think about that for a few moments. To help you process this, here are three follow-up questions:
Have you ever been under the leadership of someone inconsistent or erratic?
Does your team ever wonder what version of you is about to walk into a room?
If I were to ask your team what it’s like for them to be on the other side of you, what would they say?
These questions take a lot of self-awareness and humility to answer, specifically the second and third, which concern how people perceive you and your leadership.
How do you show up?
The second question, “Does your team ever wonder what version of you is about to walk into a room?” gets at the core of how you show up consistently. A leader who leads with healthy consistency is a force to be reckoned with, in a good way. They and their team are unstoppable. These leaders communicate with consideration and poise. They can lead through their emotions, not be led by them. They set clear expectations, rewarding their teams when expectations are met, and redirecting them with clear and empathic feedback when expectations are not met. They build trust by giving trust away, creating emotional safety, organizational clarity, and exponential impact on the individuals they lead and the products they manage. This type of consistency creates a culture of trust.
On the flip side, those who lead with an unhealthy consistency show up inconsistently and erratically. These leaders are like a wave tossed around, constantly reacting to situations based on their personal perspectives and moods. This type of consistency creates a culture of distrust.
Is your consistency building a healthy culture of trust or an unhealthy culture of distrust?
If you’d like help in this area, please reach out. My leadership development company, The Creative Level, is here to help you level up your skills to lead yourself and your team with confidence. Visit my website to schedule a FREE call to discuss the next best step for you and your team.
Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. Listen every Monday to The Coffee and Creative Leadership Podcast for more insights on leadership and team culture development.
Nicole Lucas, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Nicole Lucas, is the Founder and CEO of The Creative Level, a leadership coaching and consulting agency with the mission of helping individuals and teams reach the next level in their life and leadership. She is also the creator and host of the Coffee and Creative Leadership Podcast. With a Bachelor of Science in Leadership and over a decade of experience in leading individuals and teams, Nicole finds great joy in providing people with the essential and practical tools to become healthy and skilled influential leaders.
