During the next few weeks, I’m going to zero in on of the key factors in creating great healthcare organizations. Trust. As Dr. Katherine Meese and I explored in The Human Margin: Building the Foundations of Trust, this has never mattered more than it does right now. Trust is at the heart of everything today’s employees want. It helps with retention, promotes wellbeing, creates engagement and a sense of belonging…the list goes on.
One of the best ways to maximize trust in the workplace is to provide good, clear, consistent and timely communication. This is a “must have” skill for leaders. Here are just a few reasons why:
- People know what’s expected of them. When leaders are clear about tasks, deadlines, and goals people are more likely to hit the target and less likely to make mistakes. You consistently set them up to do their best work.
- It reduces anxiety. People like clear boundaries. They trust leaders who don’t leave them second guessing about what right looks like.
- It stops misinformation. In the absence of good communication, speculation and gossip fills the void.
- It empowers the front line. When people have all the information (along with good skill development), they can make smart decisions and move decisively. Leaders quickly see that employees can be trusted. Trust in the workplace goes both ways.
- It closes the trust gap between the C-suite and everyone else. Research shows a gap between what leaders are actually doing and what the frontline thinks they’re doing. Good communication from mid-level managers can heal this divide. I wrote about this in a column for Beckers earlier this year; it’s here if you’d like to take a look.
- It creates psychological safety. Good communication is a hallmark of emotional intelligence. It helps people feel more connected with (and trusting of) their leaders. This makes them more likely to share their ideas, which drives innovation.
To learn more, check out The Human Margin. Developing your leaders to be good communicators and trust-builders is one of the best investments you can make.
