Learning how to build trust at work is critical if you’re going to be successful as an employee, a manager, or an effective leader. Oftentimes, the first step to building trust is building rapport. If you don’t have trust, it’ll be more difficult to communicate and coordinate with your peers or colleagues.
You may get passed over for promotions in favor of someone more trustworthy. In extreme cases, a lack of trust can even bring down your entire team or organization. Unfortunately, the truth is that most people haven’t been taught how to build trust.
Of all the attributes your business could develop, few are more important than building trust. When it comes to customers, 81 percent say that trust in a business is a deciding factor when deciding who to buy from. And trust is equally important with employees and business partners. In fact, research from the Harvard Business Review reveals that workers at “high-trust companies” experience 74 percent less stress, while also being 50 percent more productive.
Unfortunately, building trust is sometimes easier said than done — particularly if you operate in an industry not known for trust. We’ve all heard stories about shady used car salesmen, but many other industries, such as tech, also face their fair share of skepticism. All too often, this distrust is deserved.
Clarity
The first component of trust is clarity. When you discuss with stakeholders, be clear in your message. Create messages that are clear and easy to understand.
Think of it this way: people like to engage with things when they understand them.
However, if the way you communicate about your company is confusing, your stakeholders will not be able to follow you. Make sure you use a simple, direct, and assertive communication style.
Connection
The second component of trust is connection. As humans, we are social creatures and we naturally seek human connection. Deep connection makes us feel happy, fulfilled, and safe. This is true for both personal and business relationships.
Clients and partners want to work with someone they feel connected to and that shares the same values. Focus on getting to know your stakeholders and show your personality. Of course, using common sense!
Empower your team by trusting them first
If you take the first step and show your employees that you trust them, they’ll be more likely to trust you back. So how can you make it clear that you trust your workers? Empower them by encouraging professional development and autonomy.
Add extra responsibilities on their plate. Invite them to sit in on meetings that they typically wouldn’t attend. For instance, let a sales rep sit in on a strategy meeting so they can provide their on-the-ground insights to help guide your sales and marketing plans going forward. They’ll remember the trust you showed in them, and you’ll benefit from their unique perspective.
When you closely observe or micromanage your team’s work, your workers are bound to feel like you don’t trust them. Most employees don’t want you to look over their shoulders. They want to feel trusted enough to be able to work with minimal supervision.
Macromanaging instead of micromanaging demonstrates that you trust your employees and believe in their knowledge and experience. Be supportive without hovering, and show that you’re available without putting pressure on them, so your employees know you trust them to act on their own but are always there if they need to reach out.
Be active and refine your presence on social media
Having a strong presence on popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X or TikTok is paramount for building trust in business. This means regularly posting high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience.
For example, if you’re a clothing company, you might post fashion tips or style inspiration to show that you are an expert in your field and passionate about the industry. You should be quick to respond to comments or reviews – both positive and negative. Doing so shows that you’re listening to your customers and are willing to address their concerns.
A surefire way of building brand trust via social media is by encouraging user-generated content. This is when customers post photos or videos of themselves using your products. It’s a great way to build trust, as it shows that real people are using and enjoying your products.
Focus on content
A great way to build trust is by creating high-quality content that is relevant and interesting to your target audience. This could include blog posts, articles, infographics, or even better – videos. Videos made in-house allow customers to get to know your company and stakeholders/employees and customers in a more personal way, which is a good starting point to build brand trust through transparency.
Videos made outside of your company are an excellent way to get to the next level and show that you’re not only trustworthy but also popular and in demand. Specifically, using testimonial advertising to build brand trust is a very effective strategy as it allows potential customers to hear real, first-hand accounts of other people’s positive experiences with your company.
