When it comes to the personal relationships we form in life, one of the most important factors we crave is honesty and trust. Without either of those two invaluable criteria, relationships falter and eventually crumble under the weight of continual uncertainty and doubt.
Honesty and trust are two qualities that often encourage people to want to do more – to go that extra mile for someone. They circumvent the presence of hidden agendas and controlling personalities and typically make people feel connected – positively contributing to the relationship rather than burdening it.
Anthony Robbins states, “Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life’s deepest joy: true fulfillment.” And it’s that contribution that motivates us to want to be a better person in all the relationships we foster – spouse, friend, sibling, parent.
But it’s not just in our personal lives that honesty and trust make an invaluable combination. Our relationships in the workplace deserve the same factors as well.
Jacob Morgan is an author, speaker and futurist, whose latest book is titled The Future of Work: Attract New Talent, Build Better Leaders and Create a Competitive Organization. He states, “Trust is important not just in our personal lives but also in the workplace. If employees don’t trust each other or their managers then all sorts of problems start to arise: collaboration and communication stagnates, innovation ceases, employee engagement declines, productivity falls, and in general the workplace becomes unsuitable to be around.”
The sad reality is mistrust demotivates.
We all believe (and rightfully so) that we’re chosen for the jobs we perform based on our professional abilities, our skills and our knowledge. When an organization utilizes those credentials to their fullest, we feel a level of trust – “positively contributing to the relationship rather than burdening it”.
But sadly it’s difficult to circumvent the presence of hidden agendas and controlling personalities in the workplace. Some leaders simply do not trust the people they hire to do the job as well as they could, and in turn that mistrust leads to demotivation.
I’ve worked for a number of organization during my career. I’ve had some truly wonderful managers, who wanted nothing more than to see you succeed (and helped you get there), and I’ve had others who simply could not relinquish their control – could not trust you to do the job you were hired and qualified to do.
At the opening of this post I say that without honesty and trust personal relationships falter and eventually crumble under the weight of continual uncertainty and doubt.
We spend a majority of our time in this life working. When it comes to honesty and trust, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t expect the same at our workplace.
”The glue that holds all relationships together — including the relationship between the leader and the led is trust, and trust is based on integrity.” Brian Tracy
