In working with both managers and employees, I’ve discovered over the years that they often experience confusion between two very different dimensions of a Leader and/or Manager’s make-up and performance. Understanding this difference and communicating it clearly is important for aligning both people and performance—including that of the Leader/Manager. So let’s clarify these two dimensions.
Confidence in a leader/manager is determined by their level of perceived capability to achieve and sustain success for both the business and the followers. Their knowledge, skills and track record of successful experience become the key criteria by which people determine the level of confidence they have in this person, regardless of the employee’s personal comfort and chemistry or perceived character of this leader/manager. In other words, our confidence in a manager/leader is based on how well they perform from their "head."
Trust, by contrast, is determined by whether a leader/manager consistently demonstrates actions that contribute to your own and others’ well-being. As such, it involves ethically-based, values-motivated behavior which is selfless and may even be at this leader/manager’s own expense in more extreme situations, while everyone is watching to see if they will now ‘walk the talk’ of their good intentions. In summary, our trust in a leader/manager is based on what we perceive to be the nature of their demonstrated "heart."
So, personal capabilities do not determine whether we trust someone but, instead, determine our level of confidence in them. Unfortunately, it is much less common than in the best interest of an organization or work group to find either leaders or managers who are viewed by others as having both of the admirable qualities required for personal effectiveness. However, the consequences are significantly different depending upon which of these qualities are found in a manager versus leader. While both are needed, the most important combination is to have leaders who are trusted in an organization, along with managers who are highly capable. To optimize performance, both leaders and managers would be both capable and trusted and, when this combination occurs, organizations can both survive and succeed.
The significance of leadership trust cannot be under-emphasized since we live in an era in which organizations and leaders are not trusted! In fact, a recent survey reported in clomedia.com listed "building trust among employees and customer" as the attribute current executives most need to develop (by 76% of all respondents) and being trustworthy as a quality that leaders of their organization need to demonstrate right now to move their organization forward in today’s difficult business environment (by 60% of all respondents). As this data shows, TRUST can be a significant differentiator for successful business performance! When leaders/managers in an organization are trusted, stakeholder groups (employees, customers, investors, suppliers, and others) are more likely to be inspired and, in turn, demonstrate a shared and even longer-term commitment. Building strong cultures from the top-down and bottom-up is an excellent way to increase trust in a shorter period of time than is likely to occur otherwise.
This blog includes excerpted material from Dr. O’Connor’s forthcoming book entitled ‘Stepping Stones To Success’ with co-authors Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, Denis Waitley (2010), Insight Publishing. Dr. Michael O’Connor is a recognized thought leader, executive coach and founder of Life Associates & The Center For Managing By Values. Michael is the co-author of several books, "The Leader Within," "Managing By Values," the Personal Global Profiles System (‘GPS’) Online Resource for Assessment and Development, and more. For additional information visit www.lifeassociatesinc.com.
