Strong leadership isn’t just about strategy—it’s about trust. Michael O’Leary explains how leaders can build lasting trust to the benefit of their organisations

If we expected that the post-pandemic era would stabilise employee/employer relationships, we were mistaken.

Remote work, hybrid working, the “great resignation”, quiet quitting, falling employee engagement, staff shortages, wellbeing challenges and the rise of artificial intelligence all present challenges to organisation cultures and leadership.

These pressures may also impact the engagement, purpose and satisfaction experienced by management. According to a LinkedIn survey, the actions of disaffected or poor leaders account for 70 percent of the reasons employees decide to engage or disengage at work.

People don’t leave organisations, they leave managers.

In Neurosicence of Trust, Paul J Zak shares how employees in high-trust companies enjoy their jobs 60 percent more, are 70 percent more aligned with their organisation's purpose and feel 66 percent closer to their colleagues.

Empathy and a sense of accomplishment are higher in such firms, while burnout is 40 percent below that in low-trust cultures.

Not only does trust improve organisation performance, but, according to Zak’s report, employees in high-trust companies are paid, on average, 17 percent more than those in other firms.

In his research, Zak identified eight management processes that build trust for leaders:

1. Recognise excellence

Research indicates that recognition has the most impact when it occurs immediately after the task or goal has been achieved.

Recognition from management is most powerful when personalised to the employee and occurs in a public setting.

2. Assign difficult but achievable challenges to teams

Pressure to achieve releases neurochemicals which intensify employee focus and strengthen social connections. Zak explains that when team members need to work together to reach a desired outcome, this brain activity coordinates their behaviours efficiently.

3. Employee autonomy

Autonomy promotes innovation that management control can inhibit. Being trusted to find solutions to problems is a big factor in an employee’s engagement.

Encourage staff to question established practices, especially those that have persisted for years.

4. Enable job crafting

Encourage employees to focus their energies towards projects about which they are passionate while ensuring clear expectations, accountability and 360-degree evaluations are in place.

5. Share information broadly

Poor management communication remains one of the big employee bugbears. Uncertainty about company direction can lead to stress, which in turn inhibits the release of oxytocin, a natural hormone which drives the social connections necessary for collaboration.

Organisations that communicate plans broadly reduce uncertainty and increase teamwork effectiveness.

6. Intentionally build relationships

Too often, managers communicate the message to “focus on your tasks” rather than encourage social connections. Zak cites neuroscientific experiments that show that when people intentionally build social bonds at work, their engagement and performance improve.

Social events, which may appear to some to be “forced fun”, significantly enhance employee connectivity, particularly when such events include competitive team elements.

7. Facilitate whole-person growth

High-trust workplaces help people develop personally as well as professionally. Though setting goals, learning plans and reviewing progress are key to professional growth, understanding how an employee is managing work-life balance or well-being is equally important.

Leaders aware of personal challenges their employees face can often help through flexibility, rather than lose a valued contributor.

8. Show vulnerability

Asking for help from colleagues is a sign of a confident leader and fosters trust and collaboration from those colleagues. It indicates that the leader is someone who involves everyone in achieving goals while valuing the opinions and expertise of others.

High-trust culture boosts inclusion

Building trust is a continuous process, and many colleagues and reports will start from different points in their willingness to believe the trust is authentic. Taking the time to understand that starting point and being patient while the trust emerges is essential.

Being self-serving, not meeting commitments, being assumptive and jumping to conclusions are sure ways to breach any trust built.

A culture characterised by high trust is more inclusive, performs better and is central to organisational success.

Michael O'Leary is Chair of HRM Search Partners