I was bombing and I was on the verge of losing everyone’s trust.
As I talked at the front of the cramped meeting room, my team of fifty sales reps and managers were expressionless. I could see their faultless faces hiding frustration. No one nodded. No one smiled. Practiced expressions of non-emotion. Nothing I said helped.
Then at one point, I was interrupted by a manager, “This sounds like the fine print of an insurance contract.” OUCH.
When I had “stepped in it” in the past, managers usually helped to contain the blowback, or at least remained quiet until things improved. They’d soften the message, collect feedback, and help course correct.
This was about as close to a full-scale rebellion I’ve ever seen. In hindsight, I can’t say I blame them.
It was all my fault. I hadn’t built the trust required to ask for what was needed.
All leadership sits atop a bedrock of trust.
Failure to build trust creates everything we try to avoid as leaders: turmoil, dissention, self-serving politics, high turnover, sloppiness, and poor results. No leader and no team can be successful without a high degree of trust.
Teams with high trust become resilient, cooperative, problem solving machines. They overlook petty disagreements, focus on results, and help each other.