The critical importance of trust in times of adversity

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Trust is critical in times of adversity and crisis…

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King Jr 

Trust forms the cornerstone of effective leadership. Research by Kurt Dirks a professor of organizational behaviour at Olin, discusses his research findings in the article “In the Face of Adversity, Trust in Leaders Essential for Performance” showing how trust increases an employees initiative, performance, their willingness to accept responsibility and to take risks to improve business outcomes. In a 2000 professor Dirks studied NCAA basketball players and found that after he…

“…statistically adjusted the information for other determinants of team performance – player talent and tenure, coach experience and track record, preseason and prior-year performance, and trust among team members. Players’ trust in their head coach accounted for about a 7 percent winning advantage.”

Concerning trust professor Dirks research found that:

“…the perception of a leader’s trustworthiness is based on three factors: competence, integrity and benevolence. In other words, do followers believe the leader has the skills and ability to meet the current challenges; the core values to make tough decisions that benefit the entire organization, as opposed to a particular group; and the compassion to consider the specific implications of his or her judgment on various individuals and their career opportunities and compensation?… ”

The professor goes on to note findings of his research showing that:

“… people will forgive a leader who compromises their trust because of a lapse of competence. With lapses of integrity, not so much. …’There’s a general assumption that competence is a fixable quality, which suggests that leaders can apologize for the lapse of expertise and address how they will do better in the future,’ he said. ‘In contrast, integrity is viewed as a fixed quality. Violations of ethics or honesty are much harder, and sometimes impossible, to repair. Consequently, a leader must cultivate an image of personal integrity and form positive relationships with subordinates.’”

The development and strengthening of trust create a solid foundation for leadership. To sustain trusting relationships requires that we act with integrity... that…

• We do what we say we will do.
• We live up to the values and beliefs that we espouse.
• We are true to ourselves.
• We live our vision.
• We do not copy.

This is the hallmark of leadership. Acting with integrity and building trust. How are you doing?

Technorati Tags: Trust, Integrity, Leadership, Management, Business, Research

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