If a manager hasn’t earned the trust of their staff, everyone suffers and productivity is negatively impacted. Sure, a manager can motivate employees through fear of being fired; however, employees will do just enough to stay out of trouble and likely be on the lookout for another job.

Intelligent leaders realize that engaged employees work harder and are more creative, meaning more people looking for solutions or ways to streamline operations. An engaged workforce can be crucial to staying one step ahead of the competition, as well as minimizing employee turnover, which keeps costs down.

For managers to build a positive relationship with their employees, they should ask employees what’s most important to them, listen effectively and offer their own trust first.

Get to know employee priorities

One of the most neglected strategies for creating trusting relationships is one of the simplest: Asking what staff members need. Ask how they want to be acknowledged; how they prefer to receive feedback; what resources they need; what their biggest challenges are; and how they want to communicate.

Recognizing and acting on worker feedback will develop trust and ensure your team has what they need to succeed.

Pay attention to what employees are saying

Managers establish trust by asking effective questions, and actually listening to employees’ answers. The technique of “drilling” down with questions can take a surface-level conversation to a meaningful dialogue. Following up with action in a manner that supports employees’ ideas and concerns reinforces that the manager listened.

Trust your employees before they trust you

If you want your workers to trust you, you need to trust them first. Let them do their work without constantly looking over their shoulder. This act of trust might seem pretty simple, but it goes a long way. If your staff members feel like you trust them, they will be more likely to innovate and find better ways of doing things.

Earn the trust of your staff

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been a manager for years, you can always earn more trust from your staff. Being transparent and honest with employees; talking to them with respect; maintaining an open-door policy; following up on employee ideas; and pitching in to help are all ways to earn more trust from your staff. Sometimes, a little bit of kindness goes a long way to earning the trust of those around you.

Show you aren’t afraid of minor mistakes

When a leader is worried that any error or complication makes them look bad, every worker feels like a liability. This kind of atmosphere leads to selfish behavior, finger-pointing and a toxic environment.

Trust can only happen when people aren’t worried about blame. Every leader must feel confident in their own job, so they can focus on supporting others, not blaming them.

At Action Group Staffing, we help company leaders reach their goals by providing them with custom talent acquisition solutions and service. Please contact us today to find out how we can help your organization.