By Rosa Beyene, Communication Manager, Providence
Trust, by definition, is the “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” You often hear that trust is a pillar of any successful relationship, and the workplace is no exception. It’s one of the foundational pillars in building employee engagement and attracting and retaining talent. When trust is absent or has been compromised without ongoing resolution, employees begin to feel disconnected, and productivity and morale decrease as a result.
When communicators are faced with internal organizational challenges, the first step we take is assessing the situation and strategically mapping out which communication tactics can support stakeholder goals, purpose, and key messages. This same process also applies to building leadership trust. When changes occur or there is a shift in organizational structure, leadership trust is often the first thing to falter. Because of this, it’s important to utilize various communication methods to ensure employees feel connected, informed, and supported.
When there is change occurring, employees are often seeking clarity and overall consistency from leadership. So, it’s important to keep in mind that, with any change or challenge, building any form of trust takes time.
The role of communication in building leadership trust
When assessing leadership trust within your organization, after meeting with key stakeholders and identifying vision and direction, it’s important to use the data you already have available, including both qualitative and quantitative data, to help map out your approach.
Data you can utilize includes organizational surveys, event surveys, leadership feedback, employee comments, and engagement with internal communication initiatives. These insights provide a holistic overview of trust within the organization, as well as key themes and sentiments being shared by employees. Oftentimes, the most valuable insights are found when employee feedback is reviewed consistently over time.
Once you have analyzed your data, you can identify key themes to help build communication channels that foster open and transparent dialogue. For example, if a recurring theme shows employees are asking why a division within the organization is being closed, this feedback can be used to bring employees along in understanding why certain decisions are being made, whether for financial sustainability or to consolidate resources.
Fostering a culture of trust through effective communication channels
Based on the scenario above, there are several approaches you can use to develop tactics that support trust building. A few examples include:
- Resource hub with weekly updates directly from the CEO providing organizational updates
- Monthly forums for leaders, as they serve as key ambassadors for information sharing
- Quarterly forums with the CEO for all employees addressing hot topics
- Video series focused on industry insights that are directly impacting decisions being made for your organization
- Rounding with departments
The goal here is to establish various ways that your employees can receive timely information, keeping them informed along the way. This will also help you establish various forums to provide the “why” behind strategies and decisions being made for your organization’s long-term success.
Each tactic provided above creates an avenue for employees to feel connected to decisions being made. It’s also important to provide feedback opportunities within these tactics, so that employees feel they can express questions or comments with leadership. These insights can then help generate future content and guide communication priorities.
Building trust takes time
Gaining and sustaining trust is a long process, and it takes time. There are many factors that can hinder trust and cause lasting impacts, but maintaining focus on organizational core values, vision and mission, as well as adjusting when needed is important. Ultimately, trust building is supported through consistency and intentionality.
Take time today to assess the strategies currently in place within your organization and evaluate how trust is being measured. Use the data available to you to build or enhance methods for monitoring and improving your communication efforts.
Trust is imperative to any organization, so having thoughtful plans in place will support future growth, productivity, as well as foster a positive workplace culture.
About Rosa Beyene
Rosa has more than a decade of experience in strategic communication and stakeholder engagement. She currently serves as a communication manager at Providence Health Plan. Prior to this role, she supported communications efforts at Providence Swedish, University of Washington, and Sankofa Impact. Rosa holds a master’s degree in communication from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University.
Rosa is passionate about aligning communication strategy with organizational goals, building partnerships, and supporting mission-driven organizations.