It’s a Matter of Trust

Posted on by Scott

trust-1418901_640Trust is a critical part of any relationship. Knowing you can rely on a partner or teammate allows you to focus on your strengths and responsibilities without worrying that something important will fall through the cracks. In a workplace setting, that’s especially important. Breaches of trust will break a team faster than anything else. Trust is also key to a healthy relationship with the boss.

How well your manager trusts you will dictate the extent to which you are allow to act freely. I’ve heard it said that trust is like a rope tied to your waist. The more trustworthy you are, the more the person holding the other end of the rope will allow you to roam. As trust diminishes, the more likely they are to reel in the rope, restricting your movements. So trust can be equated to freedom – freedom to act independently.

Building trust, or rebuilding it, takes time. Our evaluation of someone’s trustworthiness is impacted by our past interactions with them. New employees, or those with little experience in a given area, may not feel they receive the amount of trust they are due. If trust has been eroded as a result of poor performance, miscommunication, or other letdowns, it will take a series of positive experiences over time to rebuild your credibility.

Building (or rebuilding) trust isn’t hard to do. Simply focus on those things that lead you to place your trust in others:

Think before you act. Prior to speaking or taking action, take time to think through the ramifications. You don’t have to identify every potential outcome, consider what is the most probable. How will people react? What are the ripple effects you are likely to set in motion? Thinking through the “natural” consequences before acting can help you identify negative blows to your credibility and adjust accordingly.

Be prepared. When you present a problem, provide a solution. When you make a claim, have evidence to support it. Speaking in generalities or “crying wolf” without back-up is a sure way to lose trust. Have answers to the questions you’re most likely to be asked as a result of your actions. This shows you are top of your game and builds trust.

Be on time. Rushing into a meeting late or barely beating the clock erodes trust. It demonstrates an inability to prioritize and a lack of respect for other people’s time. The same holds true for achieving deadlines. Show respect for the boss and the rest of the team by completing your work on time.

Under-promise & over-deliver. Most people have a hard time saying “No.” This leads them to overload their plate with a variety of projects. In an effort to get everything done, they multitask which means nothing gets done well, eroding credibility. Don’t make commitments lightly. Give yourself enough time to perform the job to the best of your ability, even if that means explaining why you can’t take on an additional responsibility. Most of us would do well to focus on fewer projects, while executing to a higher level.[Tweet “Most of us would do well to focus on fewer projects, while executing at a higher level.”]

Follow through. An easy way to build trust is to simply do what you said you would do. Every day, people promise to call and then don’t. They commit to taking specific actions, and forget. Those who actually follow through earn our respect and trust because they do what most people don’t.

Earning trust comes down to taking personal responsibility. It requires a level of accountability that most simply aren’t willing or able to exercise. The list of go-to employees is too short. Is your name on it?

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What Did You Expect? The Importance of Consistency

Posted on by Scott

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This article is a day late.

If you’re a regular reader of my weekly ramblings on sales, service, and leadership, you know that I publish every Monday morning. Many of you have come to expect my familiar voice in your email box at a specific day and time. So, some of you took notice when I didn’t show up yesterday.

We humans are creatures of habit. We like predictability. We crave structure and routine. We like knowing what to expect. It gives us a sense of security and stability. And when it comes to dealing with other people that predictability leads to trust; a key characteristic of healthy relationships.

As service providers, we need to pay close attention to the idea of consistency. Customers come to expect a certain level of service from us. They come to expect a particular set of behaviors during an interaction. It gives them that sense of familiarity and trust. And provided they like what they come to expect, it keeps them coming back.

But when that routine is broken – when we fail to meet expectations, even if it’s slight and only once – that trust is shaken. Doubt is introduced to the relationship. The customer can’t help but wonder “What’s going on?” Suddenly they no longer know what to expect and the relationship is in jeopardy.

Think about the last time your favorite restaurant changed up their menu. Or the time the grocery store altered the floor layout. It threw you for a loop, didn’t it?

A select few will speak up. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of people who asked me about yesterday’s article. But most won’t. They’ll remain silent while they wait to see what happens next. If the service slip proves to be a fluke, the relationship probably continues. But if things don’t return to “normal” quickly, most of them will write you off. They’ll quietly look for another source of stability and the relationship is lost. It’s only later, after the opportunity to fix things has passed, that you realize they’re gone.

Top organizations are always looking for ways to enhance and improve the customer experience. They seek out innovative ways to draw in new customers and raise the bar for their competition. But too few pay attention to the importance of consistency. They fail to ensure the new level of service can be maintained for the long-haul. They get complacent and forget that the customer is always watching – and evaluating their options.

It’s a delicate balance: innovation vs. predictability. Getting it right means everything.

Take a look at your routines. What aspects of doing business with you have your customers come to rely on? What parts of the relationship are most dependent on consistency? How will you ensure your customers continue to receive what they expect?