On Forbes: Leadership & Management, Dec 2013. Glenn Llopis<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Contributor<\/p>\n

As the world mourns the loss of Nelson Mandela and commemorates his greatness as a leader, we would do well to remember that one of the many hallmarks of his leadership was trust.\u00a0The greatest leaders in the world gravitated toward Mr. Mandela because he was genuinely trustworthy and his purpose was to support peace, prosperity and unity not only in South Africa \u2013 but throughout the world.\u00a0 \u00a0Mandela was able to lead people in ways that many find impossible to do. As he famously said, \u201cIt always seems impossible until it\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, trust is in rare supply these days.\u00a0 People are having trouble trusting each other, according to an AP-GfK poll<\/a> conducted in November 2013, which found that Americans are suspicious of each other in their everyday encounters.\u00a0\u00a0 Only one-third of Americans say most people can be trusted \u2013 down from half who felt that way in 1972, when the General Social Survey first asked the question.\u00a0 Forty years later, in 2013, a record high of nearly two-thirds says \u201cyou can\u2019t be too careful\u201d in dealing with people.<\/p>\n

This same sentiment can be carried over into the workplace, where employees want their leaders to be more trustworthy and transparent<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 Employees have grown tired of unexpected outcomes resulting from the lack of preparation.\u00a0 They want to be informed of any change management<\/a> efforts before \u2013 not after the fact.\u00a0\u00a0 Employees desire to know what is expected of them and be given the opportunity to reinvent themselves, rather than be told they are not qualified for new roles and responsibilities and can no longer execute their functions successfully.<\/p>\n

Leaders are challenged between informing their employees of the entire truth and holding back certain realities so as not to unnecessarily scare \u00a0\u00a0people or lose top-talent.\u00a0\u00a0 More and more leaders today are being placed into uncomfortable moral dilemmas because they are attempting to salvage their own jobs while trying to maintain the trust and loyalty of their employees.<\/p>\n

The growing tensions between leaders and their employees are creating productivity challenges as uncertainty becomes the new normal in the workplace<\/a>.\u00a0 Furthermore, leaders are beginning to lose control of their own identities and effectiveness<\/a> as their employees begin to lose trust in their intentions because of hidden agendas and political maneuvering \u2013 casting clouds of doubt over their futures.<\/p>\n

Employees just want the truth.\u00a0 They have learned that the old ways of doing things just don\u2019t apply (as much) anymore and more than ever they need their leaders to have their backs.\u00a0 Unfortunately, many leaders are operating in survival mode<\/a> and don\u2019t have the sphere of influence they once had; without leaders to sponsor and mentor<\/a> them, high-potential employees must now figure out the changing terrain on their own.<\/p>\n

Here are seven early warning signs to look out for so you can course-correct when employees are having trouble trusting their leaders:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Lack Courage<\/em><\/p>\n

Leaders that don\u2019t stand up for what they believe in are difficult to respect and trust.\u00a0\u00a0 Too many leaders today battle the gulf between assimilation and authenticity.\u00a0\u00a0 They waste too much of their valuable time trying to act like other leaders in the organization \u2013 rather than attempting to establish their own identity and leadership style<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 This is why less than 15% of leaders have defined and live their personal brand<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Perhaps leaders don\u2019t believe that their employees are paying attention to this behavior \u2013 but they are intently observing.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Employees are always in tune to what their leaders are doing and how they manage themselves. \u00a0\u00a0Employees know that if their leaders are not savvy enough to move themselves into a position of greater influence, it will make it that much more difficult for \u00a0 them to get noticed and discovered<\/a> as well.\u00a0 The influence of a leader carries a lot of weight when it comes to how their colleagues judge and evaluate the potential of their employees.<\/p>\n

When leaders lack the courage to enable their full potential and that of others, it becomes a challenge to trust their judgment, self-confidence, self-awareness and overall capabilities.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Hidden Agendas<\/em><\/p>\n

Leaders that are too politically savvy can be viewed as devious and inauthentic.\u00a0 Employees want to follow leaders who are less about the politics and more about how to accomplish goals and objectives.\u00a0\u00a0 While being politically savvy is important, leaders must be careful not to give their employees the impression of orchestrating hidden agendas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Employees want to believe that their leaders are focused on the betterment of the team.\u00a0 If this requires well-intentioned political maneuvering to advance team goals and objectives, then great.\u00a0 However, if it comes across that a leader is solely intent on protecting themselves and their own personal agendas \u2013 trust from the team will be lost quickly and difficult to recapture.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Self-Centered<\/em><\/p>\n

Hidden agendas make it difficult to trust that a leader\u2019s intentions and decision-making are not self-centered.\u00a0 When a leader is only looking out for themselves and lacks any sense of commitment to the advancement of their employees \u2013 this shuts-off employees quickly.<\/p>\n

Great leaders are great coaches and are always looking to help their employees grow and prosper.\u00a0\u00a0 When leaders lack any real desire to mentor, coach and\/or guide the career advancement of their employees \u2013 it becomes increasingly difficult for employees to trust them.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ve often said that leaders can\u2019t go at it alone.\u00a0 \u00a0But when leaders are too disruptive, their employees sense that they are in it for themselves and\/or don\u2019t trust the talent around them.<\/p>\n

Also, when leaders are self-centered their ego stands in the way of advancing others \u2013 further eroding trust.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 Reputation Issues<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

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When people begin to speak negatively about their leader, it makes it more difficult for others to trust their intentions and vision.\u00a0 For example, look at what has happened to President Barack Obama since December 2009 when his approval rating was 69%.\u00a0\u00a0 According to the Rasmussen Reports<\/a>, four years later (as of December 7th), Obama\u2019s approval rating is now at 43%.\u00a0 Nearly a 30% decline has created massive disruption to his reputation and many who have followed and supported him for years are now having troubling trusting him.<\/p>\n

If you conducted a comparative approval rating survey in your workplace, how would your employees rate the performance of your leaders?<\/p>\n

Every leader must be aware that they are constantly being evaluated and thus they can never grow complacent<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 When they do, this begins to negatively impact their reputation and the trust employees have in their leadership.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 Inconsistent Behavior<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

People are more inclined to trust those who are consistent with their behavior. \u00a0\u00a0Isn\u2019t it easy to begin questioning one\u2019s motives\/judgment when they are inconsistent?\u00a0 For example, I\u2019ve worked with clients who appear to be on the same page \u2013 only to notice that they begin to disconnect when they believe that the direction of a project is not allowing them to mobilize their own agendas.\u00a0\u00a0 In order words, when everyone but the leader is on board with a strategy \u2013 you begin to wonder if their intentions are to support the organization\u2019s advancement or their own.<\/p>\n

Leaders who are consistent with their approach and intentions are those who can be trusted.\u00a0\u00a0 This is why so many leaders need to refresh their leadership style<\/a> before they lose the trust of their employees.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0 Don\u2019t Get Their Hands Dirty<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

Leaders must touch the business, just as much as they lead it.\u00a0When leaders are over-delegating and not getting their hands dirty<\/a> \u2013 employees begin to question whether or not their leader actually knows what is required to get the job done. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Distrust amongst employees begins to rise.<\/p>\n

Though leaders cannot be expected to have all of the answers \u2013 they should not play at arms-length either. The 21st century leader must be more high-touch in order to effectively evaluate the business and coach-up their employees.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How else can a leader establish the standards to maintain and improve workplace performance?<\/p>\n

Are your leaders getting their hands dirty or are they merely acting the part?<\/p>\n

Leaders must earn the trust of their employees and stop believing that their titles, roles and responsibilities automatically warrant trust from others.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0 Lack a Generous Purpose<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

When a leader doesn\u2019t genuinely have your best interests at heart, it\u2019s difficult to trust them.\u00a0 When leaders are not grateful for your performance efforts \u2013 and are always attempting to squeeze every bit of effort they can out of you \u2013 it\u2019s difficult to trust that they have intentions to be more efficient, resourceful and collaborative.<\/p>\n

Employees don\u2019t ever want to feel taken advantage of \u2013 especially during a time when everyone is being asked to do more with less.\u00a0\u00a0 Leaders must be more appreciative of their employees and more mindful of their endeavors.<\/p>\n

Leaders who lack a generous purpose and are not compassionate towards their employees are difficult to trust. How can leaders expect their employees to give them everything they\u2019ve got to increase their performance impact<\/a> when they are not willing to do the same?<\/p>\n

These seven behavioral traits are becoming much more prevalent in the workplace and if leaders fail to course-correct they will be putting their employees in positions of increased risk \u2013 disrupting their focus and the momentum of their careers.<\/p>\n

This is what today leaders must consider: how to lead in new ways that focus less on oneself, but more on the betterment of a healthier whole. Leaders must enable positive social change through ethical innovation\u00a0\u00a0 \u2013 what I call \u201cinnovation humanity<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s honor Mandela\u2019s courage and compassion by letting his leadership inspire us now as it did throughout the life he lived with such generous purpose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Forbes: Leadership & Management, Dec 2013. Glenn Llopis, Contributor As the world mourns the loss of Nelson Mandela and commemorates his greatness as a leader, we would do well to remember that one of the many hallmarks of his leadership was trust.\u00a0The greatest leaders in the world gravitated toward Mr. Mandela because he was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kivikas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kivikas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kivikas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kivikas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kivikas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1989"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/kivikas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1998,"href":"https:\/\/kivikas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989\/revisions\/1998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kivikas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kivikas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kivikas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}