Authentic Leadership *Sometimes* Requires Courage
“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” – Stephen Covey.
I did something recently I wouldn't normally do in an Executive Partnering Session. In my “day job,” I’m a Partnering Facilitator for mega projects in the infrastructure industry, which means I lead workshops with owners (like state Departments of Transportation) and the contractors they hire to do the work. The work being major bridges, highways, light rail systems in the $100s of millions / billions of dollars.
The topic of TRUST among the team came up toward the end of my session (it almost always does). When trust is high among team members, decisions are made faster, costs decrease, and projects have better chances of being successful! Trust is therefore one of the key components — or the foundation — of building peak performing teams.
As one of the participants raised the question of trust among the team, it was the perfect opportunity to review the components of the trust equation: (Credibility + Reliability + Authenticity) / Self-Orientation.
We ended the session a couple minutes early, and I seized an opportunity to share a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about the link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer and my work as a sobriety coach. Important note: This had NEVER come up before with this group of 30+ Executives. Also important, in an executive conference room for a $800M infrastructure project, you might guess how many women there were besides me. A grand total of one. So it was already a little awkward talking about breast cancer, and then to bring alcohol use into the conversation?! There were a couple people in the room that knew I had started sobriety coaching, but no one really knew anything about it.
I shared some details about my personal story. Details I wouldn't have been comfortable sharing in the past for fear of judgment.
As a "solopreneur," I'm keenly aware of my work, my reputation — my brand — being linked to my financial stability. What would clients think about me "being sober"? What assumptions would they make? And how could that impact my business? These were legitimate fears I’ve been struggling with for the past 6 months or so, almost trying to hide my sobriety in corporate or business settings. Never did I imagine I’d put it out there in this manner.
What I’m honing in on is that AUTHENTICITY is about being true to yourself, your core values, and your talents. It's about having strong ethics and standing up for what you believe in. For me, the PSA was the opportunity to plant a seed and share some knowledge on an issue that I believe is really important.
While this article is peripherally about my sobriety journey, it's really about BUILDING TRUST among teammates to build peak performance teams and deliver infrastructure projects successfully.
Sometimes “Authentic Leadership” requires courage to share a bit of personal information. Or vulnerability to share information you might not 'normally' share. It helps teammates and colleagues start to see one another as human beings and have a little more empathy for one another.
To build even better teams (and not kill each other in the process or hate your job), start working on that third component, AUTHENTICITY.
Using the TRUST EQUATION as our guide:
What if we consider CREDIBILITY a given? All teams have really smart, credible people. Encourage the subject matter experts (SMEs) to talk directly to the SMEs in their language to resolve technical issues more quickly.
RELIABILITY is built by delivering on your commitments. That's simple — do what you said you're going to do; meet deadlines.
If you really want to dial up the TRUST in your team, work on building AUTHENTIC relationships with your teammates. Regardless of which “side” they are on.
The Trust Equation is based on the work of the Trusted Advisor:
There’s no denying the centrality of trust in everything we do — from leadership, personal relationships, building businesses, or just collaborating on a project — trust will either bind people together or the lack of it will blow everything apart. Fortunately, there’s a model to help you understand and improve trust and trustworthiness.
How would you describe the state of the team you’re currently a part of? Can you use the TRUST EQUATION to influence better outcomes? Reach out if you’d like help with building a stronger team!
