5 Ways Leaders Can Build Trust and Credibility With Their Teams

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The long-term success of any organization increasingly depends on authentic leadership. When leaders show authenticity—along with transparent and ethical conduct—they create a culture where trust thrives. They also enable teams to achieve peak performance.

Unfortunately, when Gallup looked into the question of trust in organizations, they found that only 21 percent of employees strongly agree that they trust their organization’s leaders. That’s a really poor showing, and it indicates that much work remains to be done. Here are five ways to be an authentic leader and build trust in the process.

1. Practice radical transparency.  Authentic leaders recognize that information is a valuable asset within their organization. By openly sharing important information about both successes and challenges—along with strategic decisions that need to be made—you demonstrate your trust in your team’s capacity to deal with reality.  Transparency doesn’t mean indiscriminate disclosure of information—it should instead function as the foundation for a working environment in which information circulates freely.  Workplace happiness heavily depends on transparency from leadership, and understanding the reasoning behind decisions helps teams better align with the organization’s objectives while enhancing their sense of value as company stakeholders.
2. Demonstrate consistent accountability.  The quickest path to destroying the trust built over many months or years is when you ignore the standards you establish for others. This means not walking your talk. Authentic leaders prioritize self-accountability above all else. This means:  Admitting mistakes promptly, Taking ownership of both successes and failures, Following through on commitments, Accepting criticism gracefully and acting on feedback.  Leaders who exemplify accountability ensure the organization is psychologically safe, enabling team members to take calculated risks and innovate without worrying about repercussions for making honest errors.
3. Lead with empathy and emotional intelligence.  Employees expect leaders to recognize that they have personal lives outside of work—they shouldn’t be expected to be available 24/7. Authentic leaders build strong emotional intelligence abilities while showing true empathy toward others. Effective approaches include:  Actively listening to others’ perspectives before proposing solutions, Recognizing and validating team members’ emotions, Showing appropriate vulnerability about your own challenges, and Customizing your leadership approach to match what each team member requires.  Research shows a direct link between empathetic leadership and improved employee effectiveness and increased trust and collaboration on their teams.
4. Align actions with stated values.  Authentic leaders understand that values hold no significance unless they are demonstrated through consistent behaviors and decisions. The consistency between your words and behaviors establishes the core of leadership trustworthiness. This alignment requires:  Making sure to clearly express your core values, Using these values as decision-making filters, Recognizing team members who exemplify these values, and Making challenging decisions that remain faithful to your declared principles instead of choosing easier options.  When you practice what you preach, you’ll earn team members’ trust through consistent and principled decision-making.
5. Invest in meaningful relationships.  Consistent and high-quality interactions throughout time lead to the development of trust. Authentic leaders consider relationship building as an essential leadership activity instead of treating it as an optional extra. Effective relationship building includes:  Creating regular opportunities for two-way feedback, Demonstrating real engagement with your team members by supporting their professional growth, Celebrating individual and team achievements meaningfully, and Finding the time to build one-on-one relationships even when you have a busy schedule.  As you can see, being an authentic leader offers all sorts of advantages, so do everything you can to ensure your actions are consistent with your words.