Trust is critical for effective Talent Management

Trust is the bedrock of any relationship, and this holds true even in a professional setup. The emotional and professional needs of intellectual capital are important to understand in building a high-performance organisation. My experiences over the last 35 years in several organisations, both domestic and international, indicate that the following aspects are critical in developing trust :

1. Authenticity of leadership: People must get what they see. Hidden agendas, manipulating and using people for short-term objectives, is a recipe for disaster and will result in the development of a very skeptical and suspicious organisation. Authenticity of leadership is key to getting the best out of people in an objective and transparent manner.

2. Genuine desire to see others succeed: Talent-intensive organizations must ensure that the human talent pool, which is their most important asset, feels that their growth and success are of paramount importance to the organization. Investing in talent should be a high priority, and for this, a focus on training, development, and mentoring by senior management is essential. This will ensure that employees feel valued and will go that extra mile to contribute to an organisation that has their development as a priority.

3. Strength of character during difficult times: The organisation and leadership are truly tested only in difficult times. How leaders conduct themselves during such times leaves a lasting impression with employees and goes a long way in building trust. Employees respect leaders who show strength of character and are not just “fair-weather friends”.

4. Honest, open communication: Very often, senior management is not receptive to bad news. It is critical that employees feel comfortable sharing bad news immediately and candidly – that in itself is a reflection of trust. Empowering people and being tolerant of genuine mistakes is important, as this enables people to speak their mind freely and take more ownership of outcomes for the success of an organisation.

5. Rewarding loyalty and commitment: Loyalty and commitment are important in any relationship, and the workplace should reward this to win the trust of its people. Longevity of people has significant advantages to an organisation, and the organisational philosophy should encourage a long-term orientation amongst its talent pool.

6. Developing an emotional bond with the organisation: Leadership should get its talent energized to be self-starters, and be driven by a higher purpose that gets employees to take ownership beyond what is traditionally expected from an employer-employee relationship. The more the number of employees in an organisation that have an emotional connect with the organisation, the stronger and more successful the organisation.

Trust, once built, goes a long way in developing the right culture in an organisation and has significant benefits through a more productive, energised, and committed talent pool.

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