As a leader, do you provide praise and appreciation on a regular basis? If so, congratulations; people in your organization may find it easier to trust you. If not, consider evaluating this as step two in raising your organization’s trust in leadership.
I wrote about this in my last post. The primary leadership mindset needed to establish and build trust is a genuine focus on people through four basic elements. The first is to provide help.
The second element is to offer praise. You see, everyone needs to know they matter somehow, that their work has value to someone. Each of your people seeks purpose, whether they recognize it or not.
Being valued for who they are and what they do is critical to self-worth and self-esteem. Without these no one is motivated about his or her duties, let alone succeeding at them.
If you show your people that you appreciate them, you are telling them they are worth valuing. You show them they are important to the organization, and they’re important to you as their leader. Your employees will respond by valuing their relationship with you, and in turn offer you their trust.
You can demonstrate that you value someone simply by showing an interest in them and their lives. Most people generally respond well to this, but only if it’s sincere. Faking it will be spotted eventually, and the outcome will be worse than not attempting at all.
I suggest you get to know your employees, their interests and aspirations. You can value people by understanding what they need, and caring enough to provide it if possible. You’re telling them that they are important enough to step up and offer the kind of help only someone at your level can provide.
Often overlooked (or neglected) is to acknowledge their successes and celebrate with them. In the Entrepreneur Magazine article 9 Tests Every Leader Must Pass, Alan Zimmerman describes the importance of not only highlighting your peoples’ success but also rewarding it appropriately. Recognition may seem obvious, but I am frequently surprised by how often it is neglected. These are powerful ways to value people that help them feel needed. Their trust in you will grow.
What do you think? Do you provide praise and appreciation on a regular basis? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060; let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here or on LinkedIn.
