In yesterday’s post, I referenced a recent study by IBM that reported that CEOs around the world right now consider creativity the most important leadership quality. I also talked about the link between creativity and trust. In short, trust gives us the freedom to take creative risks. It allows us to express new ideas, bring up problems, ask for help, admit mistakes, freely give and accept feedback, and focus on things other than protecting our backs.
Leaders who want more creativity need to build a culture of trust by personally setting the standard. Above all, they must be competent, transparent, predictable, and genuinely concerned about the people whose trust they want to earn.
Let's take a closer look at these four elements of trust.
Competence Simply put, people won't trust a leader who is seen as less than competent to get the job done.
Transparency A leader who fails to be open and honest on critical issues risks suspicion and distrust. It's human to distrust someone who withholds information that is important to us.
Predictability Have you ever dreaded doing or saying something because you can’t predict how the other person will react? Unpredictability breeds caution and anxiety, symptoms of a lack of trust.
Genuine Concern People won’t trust their future to a leader whose actions are self-serving. Instead, when that leader tries to exert influence, his or her actions are seen as manipulative. We are naturally drawn to leaders who look out for our best interests.
These four elements are critical for trust to thrive in an organizaton. How much trust exists in your organization? What elements of trust keep your organization from unleashing its creative potential?
