Trust

Trust 

Mr. Webster's definition of "Trust" - 

1. a: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. b: one in which confidence is placed

2. a: dependence on something future or contingent. b: reliance on future payment for property (such as merchandise) delivered

Most school culture surveys include a question or questions about trust. Trust is the foundation of leadership. The foundation of any relationship is trust. Any healthy organization or relationship must be built on trust. Developing trust is like constructing a house. It takes time, and it must be done piece by piece. As with a building, it's much easier to tear down trust than it is to build it up. School improvement begins by creating relationships. These relationships help us determine what is relevant to the learner. Relevance helps us achieve academic rigor with our learners. 

Megan Tschannen-Moran (2014, pp., ix-x) said "there is no way to lead schools successfully without building, establishing, and maintaining trust within and across many and varied constituencies they serve. With trust, schools are much more likely to benefit from the collaborative and productive efforts of their faculty and staff which in turn help gnat the results for students that educators yearn for". 

Leaders build trust by being consistent, by their actions and words matching up, by being dependable by being reliable, by being a person who puts others interests above their own, by being a person of their word, and by following through. That is how trust is built. A critical way to GAIN trust is to be willing to GIVE trust. Think about your leadership. Are the opportunities for you to give more trust to those you serve? How can you enhance their talent and give them opportunities to lead? 

Three words jump out at me when I think about trust: Competence, Connection and Character. Competence is important and connection is imperative, however, without character, you have no foundation to build from. 

Abraham Lincoln once said "character is like a tree and reputation is like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of: the tree is the real thing". One of my favorite saying regarding character is "it's better to have character than to be one.". Character communicates consistency. A leader with good character can be counted on, especially in challenging times. As a leader it's important to be consistent as your consistency builds trust and showcases your character. I've met many talented people in my 39 years of life, but those who lacked character struggled to lead. Talent can only get you so far and ultimately talent is about YOU. Leadership is about OTHERS. 

I highly recommend Stephen Covey's book "The Speed of Trust" In the book Covey shares the 13 behaviors essential for building trust. 

Talk Straight: which is "honesty in action....it means two things; to tell the truth and leave the right impression."

Demonstrate Respect: which involves two critical dimensions, "first to show fundamental respect for people and second, to behave in ways that demonstrate caring and concern."

Create Transparency: which "is about being open. It's about being real and genuine and telling the truth in a way people can verify." 

Right Wrongs: "is more than simply apologizing; it's about making restitution. It's making up and making whole. It's taking action. It's doing what you can to correct the mistake."

Show Loyalty: involves "two dimensions: giving credit to others, and speaking about people as though they were present."

Delivery Results: which is accomplished when "establish a track record of results. Get the right things done. Make things happen. Don't overpromise or under deliver."

Get Better: "is based on the principles of continuous improvement, learning and change...When people see you as a learning, growing, renewing person...they develop confidence in your ability to succeed."

Confront Reality: "is about taking the tough issues head-on. It's about sharing the bad news as well as the good, naming the "elephant in the room", addressing the "sacred cows", and discussing the undiscussables."

Clarify Expectations: "is to create a shared vision and agreement about what is to be done at the start" 

Practice Accountability: which has two dimensions. "The first is to hold yourself accountable; the second is to hold others accountable."

Listen First: which "means not only to really listen but to do it first". 

Keep Commitments: is the "Big Kahuna" of all behaviors. It's the quickest way to build trust in any relationship. When you make a commitment, you build hope; when you keep it, you build trust. 

Extend Trust: "is different in kind from the rest of the behaviors. It's about shifting from trust as a noun to trust as a verb. It creates reciprocity; when you trust people, other people tend to trust you in return." 

Trust is like the air we breathe. We don't notice it when it's there, but when it's gone, everything stops. As you reflect on your leadership and the current state of trust in your organization - think about how might you:

• Maintain Integrity
• Openly communicate vision and values
• Show respect for employees as equal partners
• Focus on shared goals rather than person agendas
• Do the right thing regardless of personal risk
• Listen with an open mind
• Demonstrate compassion
• Maintain confidences

Trust begins with yourself. If you are not honest with yourself, you will not be capable of honesty with others. Often, our inability to accept the current reality gets in the way of moving forward. If you want to change your organization for the better we must be willing to be honest with ourselves and others.

Lastly, trust is like a bank account. You must keep making deposits if you want it to grow. When things go wrong, you will have something to draw from. Meanwhile, as it sits in the bank, you are earning interest. This speaks directly to what Jimmy Casas, Joe Sanfelippo and others have said about school culture. Every interaction is either money in or money out when it comes to school culture. A truly collaborative school culture is built from the foundation of trust.

Reflective Question: What are some ways that you build trust within your organization?

CJ