Keeping trust through communication

Trust is a fundamental building block for any organisation that wants to be successful. In an article by Paloma Cantero-Gomez, I was struck by this statistic “82% of the surveyed professionals by the Landmark Workplace Accountability Study reported failing on making others accountable. Without a sense of trust and team-work, there is no way employees align deliberately to leaders’ authority.”

Cantero-Gomez’s article is about accountability at all levels of an organisation and effective communication to ensure everyone knows who is responsible for what. She writes about failure to create a culture of accountability: “Accountable leaders take ownership of negative results. While not tolerating nonperforming individuals, they make themselves responsible for the positive performance of those around them.

Maynard Webb (link to article below) writes about trust through transparency created by open communication “In every interaction you are gaining or losing trust. Therefore, even if you don’t need to ask for approval, it might benefit you to welcome other’s thoughts”. At Tensense, as part of our weekly health check, we answer the question “We often review the best way to provide our products / services.” This reminds us that we are all accountable to be transparent about decisions made for the company. Clear, unambiguous communication for everyone, whether team members or stake holders in the wider community, is vital to retain trust. 

Transparency builds trust. But since this takes time upfront, sometimes people forgo this effort.