4.2 Trust

A variety of studies show that any organisational change can threaten trust. That's because we build our sense of trust based on our experiences. And when those experiences shift, such as during times of organisational change, we might feel the need to reevaluate.

That's bad news for those of us involved in leading change, because trust is associated with all kinds of positive things that we want people to do when they're adopting change, such as positive risk-taking and going above and beyond, not to mention general task performance.

But the good news is that we, as leaders at all levels, can do three things to help build and maintain trust during times of change. The first is to demonstrate competence. We need to show people that we have the technical know-how, either ourselves or in the team that we bring to the table to get the job done.

The second is we need to show that we care. We need to let people know that we're not just interested in the organisational benefits of the change or how it helps us as leaders or individuals, but that we care about how the change is impacting them. That means we need to invest the time in speaking with them in small groups, hearing their perspectives, and addressing their concerns as possible.

And the third, which is particularly important with two leaders and their ability to build trust between themselves and employees, is to walk the talk. We need to be clear about what our values are and to uphold those values, even when things are shifting. In addition, during times of change, there's a couple other things we can consider doing. One is provide opportunities to some degree for people to have input into the decisions related to the change. Number two is to communicate, clearly and honestly, throughout the life of the change, not just at the beginning.

And number three is to model a sense of humility and curiosity. We need to make it OK for people to make mistakes, as long as all of us are learning and adapting throughout the whole journey of the change. To learn more about the art and science of change, visit me at wendyhirsch.com.