Three Key Elements of Trust

Leaders want to be trusted by those they lead, but creating trust—or reestablishing lost trust—isn’t always straightforward. Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, respectively the CEO and president of Zenger/Folkman, a leadership development consultancy, examined data from the 360 assessments of 87,000 leaders, and identified three key pillars that often form the foundation for trust:

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1. Positive Relationships: People trust leaders who are able to create strong relationships with other individuals and groups. 
2. Good Judgment/Expertise: The extent to which a leader is well-informed, knowledgeable, and experienced is important in engendering trust. 
3. Consistency: Leaders who walk the walk, set a good example, and follow through on commitments are trusted more. 

Which of these is most important? Zengler and Folkman also designed an experiment where they separated leaders into high and low levels on each of these three pillars and then measured the level of trust. Their analysis showed that, while highly trusted leaders are above average in all three areas, positive relationships had the most significant impact. People want their leaders to be able to generate cooperation, resolve conflict, give helpful feedback, and balance results with concern for others.   (Tweet it!)

Which of these three elements of trust do you consider yourself strongest in? Which do you value the most in your own leaders? To join the conversation, click "comments" above.

If you would like to learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication, check out our online learning programs.  

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