Helen Green

Building Trust Through Leadership

Who sets the news agenda in your business? It’s a question which is very much to the fore at the moment with allegations of fake news potentially affecting the outcome of the US presidential election.

According to the BBC some of that fake news has been traced to a small town in Macedonia but the rise in false news is of such concern that social media sites are reportedly investigating ways to identify and block falsified reports.

Deliberately made up news is one thing but what is perhaps harder to deal with in business is the internal rumour mill which can cause employee disengagement or sour relationships with customers or investors. In some organisations all it takes is an unguarded comment overheard in a corridor or department leaders being summoned to a closed door meeting and all of a sudden the rumour mill is in overdrive.

It doesn’t have to be like this. Rumours flourish when there is mistrust. Building a leadership which is true to its values, which sees the leadership/employee matrix as one of mutual trust and benefit, and which actively looks to engage and empower people in the strategy and values of the organisation means that there is no place for rumour to take hold. When I trust that my leaders are doing their best for me and for the business, when I know that I am integral to their plans and that they will empower me to carry out those plans then any news which I share will be positive.

Who sets the news agenda in your business; the leadership or the rumour mongers? It’s up to you.