Getting Your Staff’s Trust Starts With the Little Things

As a business coach for over twenty-five years, I have seen many leaders rise to the top and I have seen just as many leaders fall flat. And one of the universal truths in all of that is that the leaders that make a concerted effort to lead with integrity almost always outshine their peers. Because when you lead with integrity, your team members not only learn to trust you but are more likely to follow your lead when it comes to behaviors that can help grow your business.

And I think that the majority of business owners understand that integrity is important, but they often get lost in the execution. What does it mean to lead with integrity? What steps can you start taking today to help your team and your client base start to trust you? What are you doing incorrectly that could be hindering that trust? Today, I wanted to go over one of the little things that you can start implementing today that can make a big difference in your business in a matter of weeks.

Holding Yourself Accountable

As a leader or manager, you likely spend a great deal of your time making sure that your staff is accountable for their deliverables. Did Linda do her weekly report? Did Jim in sales follow up with that client? Did Princella finish that deck for your client? You think about these things on a daily basis. But how often do you think about your own accountability?

As a leader, how you close the accountability loop is even more important than it is for your team. Because your actions help dictate how others in the company treat deadlines and deliverables.  That means that when you’ve promised to do something, get it done.  But you can’t just get it done.  You’ve got to tell the other person that you’re getting it done.

For instance, as an author there are many times that I might say, “Oh, I’ll get you a copy of that book emailed over to you by close of business tomorrow.” to a new client or contact.  And then when I send out that book to the person, I make sure to close the loop by saying something like “Hi, Paul.  As promised, here is the copy of the book.”  I’ll use that specific language, “As promised, here is blank.”  Because I am building trust by closing the loop of accountability and letting them know that I made the promise, and here’s me closing the loop that I’ve actually completed what I said.