5 Terrible Ways Leaders Try and Fail to Build Trust

Trust is a powerful currency. For leaders, it helps cement relationships, form group bonds, and smooth operations. According to <a href="https://www.harvardbusiness.org/good-leadership-it-all-starts-with-trust/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">a study</a> in Harvard Business Review, people in high trust companies report: <blockquote> 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, 29% more satisfaction with their lives, and 40% less burnout than people at low-trust companies. </blockquote> With so many benefits, it can be tempting to try to fast-track trust and get to the bit where you can benefit from it. But it’s this very mindset of seeking shortcuts that’ll undermine your effort. Don’t fall for it. Here are five bad strategies I’ve seen to be particularly ineffective, and downright damaging. <h1>#1. Over-Sharing Is Caring</h1> In an effort to hotwire connection, people use secrets as covert currency. Fine, you might think. Who cares. Secrets are valuable. By sharing them, we invite people into our private villa; the space reserved for our vulnerabilities. They’re a tool for leaders to use. But problems arise when <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-avoid-weaponising-psychological-safety-terry-brown" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">secrets are weaponised</a>, and when our words — that we want to build trust — don’t match our actions. <a href="https://medium.com/management-matters/5-terrible-ways-leaders-try-and-fail-to-build-trust-19142158cd6e">Read More</a>