This is extremely important if your organization needs employee buy-in and involvement. The 2010 production of Leadership: What’s Trust Got To Do With It? Second Edition dramatizes a leader’s struggle to engage his unmotivated team. With the help of a series of helpful characters who pop into his life and provide advice, he learns realistic methods for rebuilding trust and gaining employee involvement.

  • Be open and honest: Let people know what’s going on. Don’t hide bad news.
  • Be credible: Do what you say you’re going to do. Be true to your word.
  • Be humble: Ask for help when you need it. Admit you don’t know everything.
  • Be competent: Know your job. Do it in a way that sets the standard for everyone.
  • Be generous: Praise and credit the people who deserve it. Trust–building behaviors must be consistent and ongoing.

Trust in an organization’s leaders is always important, but especially now when bad news is so prevalent. Companies are cutting budgets and laying off workers. If you aren’t honest, credible, humble, competent, and generous, your company’s morale will dip, and your employees’ value as resources will dip as well.