Building Trust: The Cornerstone of Effective Leadership

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Welcome to Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass. Jon is the founder and CEO of image group international, an award-winning image consulting and personal branding pioneer established in 1989. This podcast will bring you old-school wisdom, inspiring ideas, strategies and hacks for the new tech world. Here you will learn everything about personal branding: the system, the techniques and the right mindset to have a successful personal brand, image and reputation.

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Hi, everybody, and welcome back to the show. Today I'll be showing about building trust the cornerstone of effective leadership. So what is trust? And why does it matter? Well, quoting Seth gotten it simple, earn trust, earn trust, earn trust, then you can worry about the rest. So obviously, trust is the foundational belief that someone or something is reliable, honest, and that has good intentions. It's essential for all relationships, including, of course, leadership, when people trust the levers, they're more likely to follow them be productive, and stay loyal. So I'm going to start off with a question.
What do you get without trust, think about this, take the tea away, and you get rust. And rust, of course, is not a positive, because it's corrosive. So trust is a foundational element in personal and professional relationships. And it's forgotten. Why because it cannot be overstated without it. As I said, You've got rust, a corrosive element that specifically is toxic. So building strong relationships, you know, this is one of the factors of what we're talking about here. And this is, of course, one of the big payoffs is that trust is the glue that holds relationships together. Remember, you don't have to love each other again, but you can still have a strong relationship. You know, you don't have to agree with everything. But you can still have a strong relationship, you can argue with somebody and still have a strong relationship. So whether in personal or business contexts, including your clients, trust form is the basis of meaningful communications and of course, connections. When people trust one another, they are more likely to collaborate.

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Definitely communicate openly and support each other's goals. So it enhances communication that adds to communication trust fosters open and honest communication. So when individuals trusted leaders or colleagues, they feel comfortable sharing ideas, concerns, and also are open to greater feedback. This transparency leads to better problem solving and decision making. And of course, your customers also expected another key is trust builds customer loyalty. Businesses that consistently deliver on their promises, and maintain a high level of trust with customers are more likely to retain those customers and attract new ones through positive word of mouth. So why is trust important for leaders or trust is a cornerstone of effective leadership. Leaders who are trusted by the teams can lead with authentic influence, rather than top down authority. They inspire loyalty and commitment, making it easier to achieve organisational goals. So it's the ultimate currency. So let me share a story that will answer this question. I had a client recently, that was going through serious reputational issues in the media. And what he did was he covered the story up from his team. What that created was over time, of course, a lot of distrust. Now he came to see me, and specifically part of the coaching was, we can deal with a lot of the challenges you have right now. But you got to start being a bit more open and vulnerable. That's probably the key word in reference to what's going on. People know especially within your close circles, that things are not right. But obviously with you closing everything up what that's doing is specifically creating a lot of insecurities. So through some work every what we'd call his positioning, he opened up with his story, share it with the team, and of course with other stakeholders, and over time, he's definitely on the right track now, because the key would trust these. You think the world doesn't know. But it's an energetic thing. You can only hide it for so long because Genetically, you can only keep on doing this for so long. So it's actually bad for business. So in the workplace, the example I gave you trust is closely linked, of course, also to productivity. So when employees trust their managers, they are more engaged, motivated and willing to go the extra mile. And this results in higher overall productivity, and of course, job satisfaction, all challenges right now in the workplace, because of all the changes going on. So plus, the additional thing that trust does is built commitment. 

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 So no different to a general and his or her lieutenants. It's the same thing here. You can't do it all by yourself. So you need a team around you, that also then trusts you, and also has trust, also with who they dealing with a beside, you know, becomes a processional effect. So when people trust their leaders, they're more likely to be committed to the team's goals. That's, that's like one of the big bottom lines. And there is more though, trust also creates, you know, a positive work environment, it takes a lot of the toxicity out. Now, if you don't believe me, look at your own workplace and see whether that could be a challenge. And if it is a challenge, you'll be able to see specifically if trust is lacking, there's definitely toxicity going on. So when people feel trusted, they're more likely to be happy and productive at work, and will go above and beyond. So the big question is, how can leaders build trust? Well, the first is to understand the paradox of leadership. And this is important. As a leader, your communication needs to be as honest and transparent as possible. Without frightening the hell out of your team. People need to be able to trust that the leaders are being honest with them on the big picture of things without necessarily getting to the finite detail, of course, unless it is relevant. So this is very important. And it's very simple, don't share things with people that can handle them. And that means also team members. So that means, you know, and that's not actually been distressful. What that is, is basically you choose what to share. And this is important, because this is your life. So you're gonna be along the way, though, you got to be, you know, from a leadership point of views, but definitely be consistent and fair. So, if you're going to share it with one member, and they obviously have other friends and talk a lot to each other, and so on that allow about it, you could be also creating other problems there. So you might want to share it, as a group there, if that's relevant, people need to be able to trust that the leaders specifically practising what they preach, and also keep their promises. Another tip is, if you do break a promise, clean it out, as soon as possible. You'll be surprised how forgiving people are. And this is very important, because, you know, willing to admit mistakes, and be open to feedback is a sign of leadership. This is very, very important. And if you don't believe me have a look in the media where you get cover up with mistakes, and leaders not open to feedback, you know, they get the spin doc, there's a sleaziest spin doctors in in the news, they start to give you their story. And of course, you don't believe it, they're all hoping they're all go away. And the times actually gets worse. And I can think of many companies are currently in the news that's happened. 

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So in summary, trust is the foundation upon which positive relationships are built. And that includes, of course, your personal relationships, including family, because without that, you've got corrosion. So effective organisations are built and grow, businesses are built, and thriving communities are built on trust leaders, individuals alike must prioritise the trust building efforts to reap numerous benefits it brings. So what I mean by that is, you got to constantly be a demonstration of that. It's not just talk, it's Action. Action is really the key here. So trust is not easily earned. I agree with that. But the investment pays off. In the short term, and long term, it can lead, of course, to stronger, more resilient, and more successful individuals, teams, and of course, communities, it keeps actually society together without trust, we're in trouble. So following the insights I've mentioned, you know, leaders can certainly build trust, the experience shows that and of course, the evidence is clear out there and create a positive and productive work environment. So remember that trust is a key ingredient for any successful business, or of course, life for that matter. Can you imagine if there was no trust in your family, right? You got a disaster going on. So trust is everything and I can't stress enough about this because it's one of those positive feelings you get when people really feel good around you, knowing that you're saying and doing the right thing, as opposed to the opposite. So Well I hope you enjoyed this episode as normal. Please rate us on Apple podcasts we really appreciate your support. And of course subscribe to the show for more valuable content. If you require any help your leadership journey, remember that you can contact me. You'll find my email address in the episodes description. You can also connect with me on social media. My Twitter is John underlined Michael but LinkedIn is John Michael and you can find me as image Group International on Facebook. Thank you and cheerio.

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Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass Podcast is sponsored by Image Group International, a global team of practical, digitally savvy personal brand and image strategists based in Australia, committed to maximizing your impact, influence and authority in the business world. To learn more and apply for your personal coaching, seminars and group workshops, please visit imagegroup.com.au or call 1800 631 311.