3 Levels of Trust Every Company and Leader Need for Real Change

Beyond the change that is being created by the events of the COVID-19 breakout, organizations will need to make lasting changes in the coming weeks and months. We have all been dealing with the change that has been forced upon us, but even as we look ahead and hope for a return to normalcy, it will not be the same. Business and customers will be changed by this event. Creating and leading through the internal change will be equally as important as the external change factors we have been living with for the past couple of months.

Effective change requires many things to come together. In order to find long-term success in the outcomes of those changes, trust must be at the foundation. There is no shortage of information on trust, in fact I have written about it several times myself. (Looking for a Way to Build Trust? Here is One Characteristic Successful Leaders Use) I have found that there are different levels of trust that must be established to navigate and succeed when working through situations that require high levels of change. I think nearly every business is finding themselves in that situation now.

Enterprise Level Trust

The employees of the organization need to believe in the highest level leaders and the vision they are creating for the future outlook of the company. This is where having a vision is so critical to establishing a connection with employees that will bring it to life. However, vision is different from trust. Trust is earned at the individual level and comes from actions and behaviors, not words. The highest level leaders and their immediate direct reports must remain visible and active in connecting with the teams and the vision equally. People must feel as though their company is headed in the right direction and the people steering them there are capable of getting there successfully.

Mission Level Trust

Mission is different from vision. Vision casts the view of what the company will look like and how it will perform in the future. It is always evolving, but clearly defines what the company is about. Mission is about the steps you are taking to get there. Closely related to purpose, I see mission as supporting purpose and as the means to getting to vision. Strategy then defines how the missions come together. Those are a subject for another day though. Creating a level of mission trust is important because this is closer to the people that will make it happen every day. If the employees do not trust that the mission they are on will get them to a better place, it is hard to fully create trust at any higher level. Simon Sinek says it best: “people don’t believe in what you do, they believe in why you do it.” That is mission trust.

Personal Trust

Does MY leader match the mission and enterprise 'talk’? Do I believe that I am being lead in the right direction? Do I trust my leader will help me be my most successful self? Especially in large companies or even in large local establishments, the layers can obscure the higher levels of trust. Front line employees deal with their supervisors or managers everyday. That is where the most important elements of trust must begin. Any CEO or owner can create a video and share their vision. But the view most employees have is to their immediate leaders. If this level of trust is not well established, it will be nearly impossible to reap the rewards that come from the strength that comes in the mission and enterprise levels of trust.

People work for people before they work for a mission or company. And, largely most employees still need to understand the WIIFM - what’s in it for me. That must be created at the personal level. A leader must demonstrate that they are concerned for their people. Information must be shared, coaching provided, and trust gained in order for a strong two-way bond of personal trust to be established.

Trust is a deep subject, literally and figuratively. It cannot stop at the surface and hope to provide a lasting sense of purpose and positive energy. People need to believe in what they are doing and who they are doing it for. When you can align all three levels of trust, that is when full potential and established success will be realized. The companies that have those bonds already formed, or strengthen them as we all navigate in a post-COVID19 world will be the ones that stand atop the leaderboards in the coming years.

How do you help establish or support all three levels of trust in your role?

Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive FREE leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills all at no cost. JOIN NOW!

No spam ever - just leadership goodness.