Trust arises through good communication, so that employees feel well informed and involved in important discussions and decisions that apply to the entire workplace. However, my data shows that I can be so transparent that it creates confusion or destroys employees’ confidence in one’s ability to lead the organization.
Here are two quotes that frame my weaknesses:
- “You explode with energy and commitment, and this can create confusion and the feeling of being rushed.” and “If you have an idea, you just jump! That way, you can overtake our regular processes in the organization.” Not everyone is ready for a party.
- “You throw out an idea and involve us so that we can take notice. The problem is that it’s not so good to vent all your thoughts, because are you now looking or brainstorming? It was overwhelming because where were we going and when are we going to do what? Many ideas create fantastic results, but some employees can feel pressured and divided.”
I can see that the art is to give the right amount of communication dosed at the right time.
“Success involves the management of ideas. Ideas can provide wonderful opportunities for breakthrough. However, trying to implement too many ideas at once can crush or fragment your organization.” (Steve Gladen, Saddleback Church)
The mass media constantly play on trust and distrust. They stage conflicts. Viewers are into it because it’s about emotions. Today, we get a large part of our knowledge and news from social media on the internet. It severely challenges credibility and trust, both because it is often a one-sided, unvarnished, emotional and personal presentation, and because you dare to write things behind the screen that you would not say face to face.
We currently see it in shitstorms and hate campaigns against X-factor participants, athletes, politicians, etc. This has profound consequences for whether we dare to stand up on stage and set an agenda as leaders. I always think about it when I write posts in the media or on social media, because it takes so little to harm our organization.
As a top manager, I am a role model. My experience shows that everything I do signals to my employees what they think I and the organization expects from them. It is important for them that they feel my trust and belief that they can solve their tasks.
The corona period has also given the employees a lack of feeling, presence and overview with each other, the organization’s hinterland and me, when there is physical distance and different work processes. When most of the communication becomes related to work, because we lose the conversations at the coffee machine, the presence weakens. We only see each other at an unnatural distance through the computer’s camera and lack non-verbal communication. Studies show that some managers become more controlling because they do not have their finger on the pulse or lose/let go. Then trust suffers. It challenges the ability to act, so it is difficult to lead one’s team present when we are at a physical distance.
Like Sinek, Palmgren claims that it is important that we have control of our “why”, so that we can pass on the meaning of the work to our employees. Gallup surveys show that managers who are purpose-driven and involve employees achieve greater trust and satisfaction. I read a need to keep the focus on production because my employees have been sent home on wage compensation for 8 months. But we are not machines that only have one job to be productive. Therefore, I have had my purpose and core task in my calendar for several months. Because when I am aware of this “why”, I become more clear to the employees and can navigate what we have to do and not do.
Resonance’s communication gives us a greater angle on trust and communication. They bring together some of the theories I have worked with previously in the assignment. The managers must be “torn down by the beer crates”, so that they have close, regular and personal communication with the employees. “Managers are responsible for up to 70% of the variation in employee engagement”. Resonance shows 6 concrete paths to committed communication:
1) Proximity and based on the individual employee’s strengths.
2) Regular communication.
3) Close to the tasks with a clear reconciliation of expectations.
4) Hold employees accountable and provide development.
5) Close to the whole person – also interested in things outside of work.
6) Open and trusting culture, where you dare to experiment, challenge decisions, share knowledge and experience.
In my experience, an employee describes the organization’s communication by management:
“In the past, I have been cautious about coming up with my ideas and thoughts because previous managers have been aggressive. They did not see the employees’ intentions behind it. So we ended up just letting it sit until we hit the iceberg and the ship crashed. We kept our mouths shut!”
This is due to fear management, which removes any form of trust. The employee goes on to talk about my management communication:
“You are constantly trying to find out what we can do to work better and maximize our output and outcome. You don’t seem to take it personally or feel attacked when we criticize you because you keep your eyes on the ball instead of yourself.”