I Just Can’t Trust Them!
Trust is imperative in life, yet we have such a profound lack of it; how in the devil do we survive without it? In the mid-eighties, I managed an organization that did not trust its management. Coming into the group from the outside, they looked at me as just another management person while challenging me to give them something to believe in.
The organization was full of people who wanted to do their best yet felt they had their hands tied when they tried to make changes. They worked with old technologies that could not produce the high-quality products needed, and the employees knew it. It was evident that management made the decisions and had abysmal visibility with the employees. After several months of evaluating the situation, we conducted around-the-clock crew meetings to discuss their needs.
The cornerstone of the meetings involved a discussion on paradigms and the following quote on "openness; honesty; integrity & trust."
Quote:
Openness and honesty drive integrity, and consistent visibility of personal integrity will grow trust. G. Wood 1987-1988
The paradigm was technology upgrades; we talked about them, not about what the technologies would be, but the effect on the employees. These meetings were initially quiet, becoming more engaging as time went on. At every meeting, we had cookies to break the ice. The cookies created a great environment to begin the conversations, taking only a few minutes for people to realize how much I loved cookies. But more importantly, people began to trust me. I used two props: a picture of a pair of dimes and one of the words in the quote above, simply explaining to them as I went.
In hindsight, I believe I uncovered how accurate and vital the words and their definitions are. I find them even more important today, 2023!
Definitions:
A paradigm is a particular and accepted set of thoughts and assumptions about how things are. Some paradigm examples: A new paradigm in business could mean a new way of reaching customers and making money. In education, relying on lectures is a paradigm: if you suddenly shifted to all group work, that would be a new paradigm.
Openness: lack of secrecy or concealment; or frankness being the quality of being open, honest, and direct in speech or writing.
Honesty: Speaking and acting honestly is more than not lying, deceiving, stealing, or cheating. It entails showing respect towards others and having integrity and self-awareness; honesty means not pretending to be something you are not. With honesty, you can trust things to be as they appear.
Integrity: Standing up for what you believe is right and living by your highest values. Doing the right thing in the right way; adhering to values firmly held.
Honesty and integrity in action: People who exhibit honesty and integrity can admit their mistakes and hold themselves accountable. For example, in business, if someone makes a mistake during a project, they tell their team what happened immediately.
Trust: A belief that someone is honest and credible; trust is earned by being honest, having a positive intent, having solid competencies, and having a track record of results.
My story took place in the mid to late '80s. I guess you might say these beliefs are part of my core being. These beliefs worked to pull a large organization together; if employed today, they will work the same way. And they work in the family setting as well as the work environment.
The question I like to use is this; how do you feel if someone tells you to do something without explanation, just more-or-less pointing their finger, saying do this!
OR
How do you feel if someone needs help but takes the time to explain their needs along with additional background information to help you understand the request?
Postscript: Is there hope? Last night while watching a talk show, I heard a US Senator say, when asked about a critical bill going through the senate, he said "I don't know anything about the bill, and I refuse to comment until I read it, which will happen in the next few days!
Please share with your friends.
Love this Gene; and all your articles.