Managing for success (Part 5) – Trusting people
This week’s discussion with one of my students brought up a very important issue about how managers treat staff.
She (my student) commented to me that whenever she comes in she always notices that people email to the group that they are working from home. She asks me about how do I know that they’re really working?
Simply, I trust that people are actually working from home. Do I know they are actually working from home – yes. Why? I trust that they are, therefore they must be.
I know that sounds illogical since I don’t really know what they’re doing because I’m not there with them. But at the end of the day, I trust that they are doing the right thing – and that’s good enough.
Let’s look at what happens if you don’t trust people. Managers who don’t trust their staff are continuously monitoring people, trying to catch them out. What these managers don’t realise is that they are creating the very environment that will cause people to do things that reinforce the managers lack of trust. Or the manager will interpret some seemingly innocuous behaviour as an indicator of doing something untrustworthy. It’s a vicious circle with only one outcome.
In contrast, it’s much easier to start with the view that people are trustworthy and will do the right thing. By doing this, you also set up an environment where people do things that indicate trustworthiness.
Fortunately, you will be right most of the time (whichever view you take!!!). I’ve only experienced 2 or 3 serious breaches of conduct over the last 9 years of running PTG where people outright lied or did something that was in very poor form. Those people no longer work for my company, either because they left or were exited.
It’s dissapointing that this happens, especially when you make a real effort to trust them and ‘this is what you get for it’. But you can’t think that way. It poisons your view of people and causes you to behave in a reactionary way and take away people’s freedom to make their own choices.
Rest assured that the odds are very much in your favour if you start with a positive view of people’s motives. You will get what you look for.
Managing for success | Craig Errey | 
May 26, 2007 3:22 pm
Subscribe