Trust is the secret sauce for success … yet how do you build it?

By Heather Whyte, CEO and Founder of WHY Communicate

I was completely absorbed when recently I sat listening to two very dynamic women talking about the importance of building trust within organizations. They were singing my song. Trust is a must for success. What I found even more exciting was the room. It was filled with executives from all sectors of the economy who where there to learn how to create trust to accelerate their associations’ success.

Trust is more than a buzz word in our global environment filled with misinformation. It is a success driver for organizations today. It is the foundation of all relationships – whether in personal interactions between individuals or in the business community between organizations and their customers, members, employees, stakeholders and the public. Without it, organizations of any kind will not attract the support they need to grow and survive in our highly-competitive digital environment cluttered with unreliable sources.

The two Kates – Kate Sturgess and Kate Toth from YMCA Workwell – lead this session at the Canadian Society for Associations’ annual conference at the Fairmont hotel in Montreal. They shared some of Workwell’s research showing WHY leaders who embrace trust as part of their business strategy reap employee and organizational benefits.

A few key points they shared from their employee research indicate that focus on trust results in;

• 74% less work-related stress

• 50% higher productivity

• 29% more life satisfaction among employees

• 40% less burnout

• 76% more engagement

The benefits are tangible and highly valuable. Yet most people were at the session to learn how to build trust. It isn’t easy and it takes commitment, time and strong leadership.

The Kates had great advice. They talked about leaders and how they play a critical role in setting the tone at the top and inspiring trust as part of the culture of their associations and organizations. They shared ideas about how to build a trust-based culture by creating community through open communications, recognition and honest feedback. And they recommended that leaders model care, reliability, competence and sincerity in their day-to-day actions.

The world around us is rapidly changing and filled with bad news and uncertainty. Many of us are working from home in hybrid situations which means we don’t have the personal relationship at work that help ground us. Everything is new for everybody. At times like this trust can be a North Star. We need it now more than ever.