"Why aren't they taking responsibility or ownership for their actions and results?" the CEO asked me. "How can such an incredible team of managers and employees, all carefully chosen, top-notch professionals, filled with motivation and the drive to succeed, not be willing to take responsibility for their work, make decisions, and drive processes independently?" With frustration in his voice, the CEO asked me, "What's going on with them?". The problem is neither what's happening with them nor what's happening to him. It's about what happens between them.
It is called COMMUNICATION.
The foundation of, and the basis for, relationships and communication is TRUST. It is the creation of continuous, consistent, and clear communication pathways. This is a long-term process that needs to be repeated time and again.
Trust is a process that is built and established over time, continuously, through the actions people perform, as it is in relationships between spouses, between friends, and even between siblings.
Pay attention, trust is built through the ACTIONS you take, not through words.
Our natural goal is to minimize the gap between what people say and what they do. The reason is that when there is inadequacy, we feel cheated.
It is called COGNITIVE DISSONANCE and we try to resolve it.
Whenever we're communicating with a manager, an employee, a spouse, or a friend, we ask ourselves whether their behavior matches the values and perceptions they present.
"Does he walk the talk?"
Otherwise, we understand that what he says and his acts don't correlate. We feel cheated.
For instance, a manager who frequently talks about employee empowerment and autonomous decision-making, but insists on his own approval for any decision made. The result is dissonance.
To resolve the problem, we must provide explanations.
What happens is that we usually judge a person's credibility based on their actions, rather than their words. The rule applies to all network connections - managers, colleagues, coworkers, friends, spouses.
Here's something to think about🧐
Building trust is MUTUAL
Managers and employees both have responsibility🙌
What can be done?
✔Allow people to ask questions and create a safe environment for them to do so. People who feel uncomfortable after asking a question usually don't dare to ask again.
✔Offer regular and ongoing feedback while actively listening to the other person. Be sure to include both pros and cons in the feedback you provide. Everyone wants to know what and how they are being evaluated, feedback is vital!
I believe it is the CEO's duty to take the first step in building a relationship based on trust, in which words and actions are aligned.
The key to any relationship, but especially in the workplace, is communication.
It is essential that we walk the talk and build a framework for trust.
Are you curious about hooking up your communication with trust❓ Let's chat❗ #network #communication
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