In what kind of organization do you work? How do you lead?
Is there a lot of control? Is there a lot of room for freedom and trust? Or is there a balance between the two, perhaps influenced by the requirements of Het Nieuwe Werken (HNW)? Does more trust lead to more control or the other way around?
Clients often ask me about the balance between control and trust: how do you achieve it? Does it exist? I promised to dedicate a blog to this topic.
The current trend in many (larger) companies is an increase in control due to a series of incidents. The effects of the corporate governance movement aim to minimize unexpected risks. Unfortunately, this often goes too far, leading to demotivation and stifling. “Double-sewn holds better” seems to be the credo.
Should we then open everything up under the guise that trust is important?
NO!
Find the balance! The solution lies in finding the middle ground, the right balance. And that balance depends on the phase in which an organization finds itself. Generally, we can say that there is no full trust without control and that without trust, there is no room for innovation and value creation. In HNW, more attention must be given to the aspect of trust; it’s about the shift from control to trust. A large study revealed that 67% of respondents see trust as the most important condition for HNW. It’s important that clear guidelines are formulated about the expected output from employees: objectives, results. This requires leaders to communicate clearly and provide coaching and support in this area. The leader transforms from controller to inspirer.
10 steps to trust (and control)
What steps can you take as a leader to achieve the right balance?
- Ensure that objectives and expectations are clear to everyone (at the process, performance, and behavior levels); clarity gives employees a sense of security.
- Clearly define the boundaries of their actions and specify the desired management information.
- Coach, support, and inspire your employees so they can (and dare to) excel in their abilities.
- Walk the talk: be aware that you must set and be the example yourself; this increases your credibility and reliability to your employees.
- Give more and more responsibility to your employees and allow them more decision-making space. Monitor whether they can handle this (yet). Measure the quality and discuss with them where improvement is possible. Provide constructive feedback.
- Look for success stories, highlight and share them. This has a positive impact on productivity.
- If trust is damaged, look at where improvement and control can be applied to rebuild trust.
- “Soft healers make stinking wounds”: dare to part ways if employees, in the long run, cannot or will not conform to the organization’s set frameworks and/or do not contribute to the agreed results.
- Be smart: evaluate carefully and correctly, and apply the principle of “Smart Trust” (M.R. Covey). Instead of distrust or blind trust.
- See mistakes as learning experiences and evaluate them, but deal with misuse strictly.
In conclusion: As you can see, control and trust go hand in hand. Giving room for trust is a cultural aspect and is also described as a competency. The role and seniority of leaders are essential in this. They must be consciously able to handle this.
Naturally, I am very curious about what you will do. How do you experience this combination of trust and control? What can you add to the 10 points above?
I am grateful for your response, for the time and attention you take to read and respond to my blog. Your response is not only educational for me but also for other leaders.
Would you like to share this blog in your network, so other business leaders and entrepreneurs can learn about the basic principles of successful leadership?