The Trust Factor

Gauri Chhabra
The forthcoming elections have unraveled a common denominator about human psychology – the professional equations change, the diehard members of one party defect to another, some become independent contestants. What is the reason behind this defection? Simple.Trust giving way to mistrust. Trust is a very fragile skein in the fabric of any relationship- personal as well as professional.
Let me give you an example. You could spend years working for the same manager, building your reputation as a hard-working, well-intentioned, always-dependable employee.And in a fraction of that time, you could lose it all, once the trust is gone, your relationship is in quicksands.
It may sound harsh, but it’s true: Trust is much easier to lose than it is to gain. No matter how long you’ve been an excellent and dependable employee, if you adopt some less-than-desirable habits, even for a short while, you can do a significant amount of damage to your hard-earned reputation.
So, to make sure you stay in your organization’s good booksand continue earning your way to raises, promotions, and opportunities, stay wary of the ways by which you can lose trust of your boss and the organization. Make sure you don’t recognize any of these habits in your own work life.
Overpromising and underperforming
Trust me. It happens only in India. We do not have the habit of saying ‘No”, so keep piling on our plate more than we can deliver. It results in unmet expectations and loss of trust. The ‘ho jayega’ attitude sets expectations that fall like a pack of cards. I’ve been on the phone with an angry client enough times to admit that sometimes, employees will say pretty much anything to fix the situation-whether that means a refund you can’t actually guarantee, a resolution to a problem that’s completely out of your hands, or a personal callback and apology from the C suite persons.
I can tell you that while your solution may appease the client for the time being, when he or she figures out that you can’t actually deliver what you promised, you’re going to have a much bigger problem on your hands. Not only will he be angrier than before, but your manager will likely have to assume the role of the bad guy, breaking the news to the client that he or she actually won’t be receiving that refund, resolution, or executive callback.
If your organization can’t rely on you to provide realistic information to your co-workers and clients or at least the reassurance that you’ll find someone more knowledgeable to provide that information, he or she probably won’t want to trust you with any sort of increasing responsibility.
Going dark on mails and calls
We all are so time crunched that we keep on prioritizing things as per our convenience. At times, we forget that what may not be priority for us would be the topmost priority for our boss. Occasionally, I’ll be copied on an email chain where an employee complains that they tried calling and emailing the admin officer numerous times, but never heard back, so finally, as a last resort, he’s emailing someone higher up on the chain to get assistance.
We’ve all been there. Emails get buried in overflowing inboxes, voicemails get accidentally deleted and subsequently forgotten, and, frankly, sometimes other things take priority over responding to a not-so-urgent co-worker request.
The thing is, when you let this become a habit, your manager is inevitably going to find out. Frustrated clients and co- workers will start seeking the nextperson up the ladder, and the first thing they’ll do is point a finger in your direction and say, “That employee never got back to me.” And your boss will start questioning if he or she can trust you with important clients and big projects-because if you’re not able to respond to calls or emails in a timely manner, you surely won’t be able to meet the big deadlines that carry an even heavier weight of responsibility.
My urgency v/s your urgency
If your boss is not a good communicator, it is your responsibility to understand the message and the urgency of the situation. Managers aren’t always the best communicators. In fact, one of my former bosses would often send me cryptic to-do messages like “Deposit cheque” or “Check the vendor today.” The notes always left me questioning what she needed and when she needed it by-so those tasks often got lost in the shuffle.
It’s one thing if your boss’ requests aren’t clear-but when they are, and you simply ignore the importance and urgency behind them, it’s another story. When your manager says, “I just got a call from a client whose server is down and needs help ASAP. I’m heading into a meeting, so can you give her a call?” it means you need to call not emailthe client at this very moment not tomorrow afternoon.
In addition, it’s a good idea to follow up once you do. Making your manager constantly check back in with you conveys that you either don’t truly understand the urgency of the situation-or that you do, but you’re choosing to ignore it.
When it comes down to it, it’s much better to clarify with your boss at the time of the initial request than wait to see what happens if you procrastinate just a little.
Filling in only at the last moment:
Any escalation or grievance doesn’t usually come up out of the blue. Often times, customer blow-ups arise slowly, festering in anger and vented out just at the last moment. Sure, you usually recognize the growing anger, but it doesn’t seem necessary to bother your manager with the details until you truly need him or her to intervene.
Unfortunately, when the situation does blow up, the frenzied request to your boss usually ends up sounding like this: “So, the client is absolutely furious, and he wants a full refund processed within an hour. He’s on the phone now, demanding to talk to you. I’ll transfer you the call, OK?”When you drop that kind of bomb, you force your manager to jump into a situation that he or she didn’t expect and knows essentially nothing about-which makes it incredibly difficult for him or her to assuage the situation.
Each time that happens, your start the Marginal loss of trust is higher than before and your boss becomes less likely to trust your instincts and more likely to check up on you more often, ask about your current projects, and make sure you don’t have any other escalations brewing. So while it shows initiative to try to resolve a situation on your own before unnecessarily involving your manager, it’s more important to keep him or her in the loop as things progress.
When you keep your boss posted, and take total responsibility for your work, you’ll prove to your boss that he or she can trust you with anything. And before you know it, you’ll start seeing more opportunities, bigger projects, and an overall boost in your career.
Not being able to provide solutions
Whenever there is a crisis, make the boss lean on you for solving it. Failure to provide solution may mean to things. One you do not have the ability to solve the problem and two- you do not care at all. Both the messages are detrimental to your growth.
First, you need to know what you’re great at, not what you’re good at. And when you know what that is,don’t be afraid to offer solutions and bring value to discussions. Whether you’re presenting at a meeting or having an impromptu chat with your boss, nail your point with simple language and simple solutions.
Be bright, be brief, be gone-and you’ll always be remembered…
Therefore, if you feel even the slightest chasm in your relationship with your boss, win back the trust before it is too late- after all, it is all about trust…

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