How To Lead With Trust

Trust is one of the most valuable things that you must have to lead effectively. Customers will only transact with people they trust, and employees will only stay for a company they trust. And this is a code that Diane Helbig, Business Advisor, Podcast Host, and Author, lives by. She believes that you need effective communication to gain people's trust, which is the key to a strong relationship. Here are her three fundamental principles.

"Leaders are not supposed to have all the answers. Their job is to find answers"- Diane Helbig.

Honesty

The first part of getting people to trust you is to be honest. Diane truly believes that life is easier when you are truthful. People can tell if you are genuine, and it will help you gain people's trust faster. You do not have to worry about who you said what to constantly; that can eventually cost you credibility that you will never get back once lost. 

Another part of being honest is transparency. People like transparency, and they will know if you're holding something back from them. One of the most dangerous things in a business you need to watch out for is the rumor mill. 

"When you let people make up their mind, they're going to go to the worst possible scenario, and it's hard to clean up after that." - Diane Helbig.

Good or bad, you need to talk to your people before it even starts. You need to create a culture where your people are comfortable having an open conversation with you. Encouraging feedback is critical to effective communication and in getting people's trust. 

Listening

Although having open conversations is good for fostering relationships, it's pointless if you're not going to listen to your people. You need to practice active listening. People will trust you more if you show them you care. 

"Good leaders know that it's more important to listen than speak" - Diane Helbig.

According to Diane, we often listen with the wrong ears, using outcome-biased listening. It's a tendency for people to assume the outcome of a conversation even before it starts. This often leads to an emotional response, rather than a fact-based one, because you've already had the conversation in your head. 

Active listening is crucial because it lets people know that you care; about the company, the client, or even your people. It also invites people to tell you things because they know that you are listening. And even though you cannot implement every idea they have, people will always appreciate that you took the time to listen. People like to be heard, and it makes them more engaged, valued, and respected. 

To practice active listening, you need to learn how to sit in silence. Enter a conversation with a clean slate, zero assumptions, zero bias, and just intently listen. 

Integrity

"Living in integrity means that you are making the right decisions at the right time for the right reasons." - Diane Helbig.

But no matter what you do, it's hard to trust someone who isn't living in integrity. You need to be someone who doesn't compromise your values. People can always tell if you have integrity, and they will see it in your actions. You will not go very far in your career if your values quickly change with the wind, and people will think that you are not trustworthy.

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