Trust: "Firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something."

I came across a concept yesterday that I can't stop thinking about: the 'culture bank'. I am going to mix two concepts here so bear with me, but trust and culture are two things entirely integrated and it's important to consider them together.

"People love working here, we give them free coffee and fruit. Remember Friday quiz night? How about that skiing holiday the corp team went on in 2018, wow the feedback was great wasn't it? Yeah people love being here. They feel super connected to management, we don't have any hierarchy. We have a bring your dog to work day, remember when the CEO Dave brought in his poodle? Man that was a laugh! Etc etc"

The above might sound superficial, but it's these top layer experiences that companies can fall back on when things get hard, or there is change, or they just need to bolster a bit of love to their people. It's their culture bank.

Throughout 2020, organisations were dipping into their 'culture banks' as a way of maintaining the status quo in times of turmoil and uncertainty, a way of placating employee well being and popping sticking plasters on organisational culture. It's 2021 and those banks are depleted of funds. People feel disconnected, new starters haven't met anyone in their team yet (some for nearly a year), and employees feel totally disconnected from what's happening beyond their computer screen. Managers who feel insecure because they don't know what their teams 'are up to', and people have forgotten how to check in and have regular communication.

Some organisations don't trust that their people, after all this time, are being productive and getting their jobs done. There is some fascinating research by Paul J Zak on the neurological connection between trust, leadership, and organisational performance. He found a direct link between oxytocin levels and empathy, essential for creating trust-based relationships and organizations. Higher the oxytocin = higher the empathy. The higher the empathy, the deeper the connection.

We have 3 levels of trust:

• organisational level (culture)

• team level (between team members)

• interpersonal (between two people)

Managers have a crucial role to play in influencing company culture and building trust within their teams. Telling the truth, even when it's hard, and showing support builds your trust as a leader. Modelling the behavior you seek from your team, listening and checking for understanding, being consistent in your actions- these are all important steps in building your credibility and trust. We don't need to try and recreate zoom quizzes and superficial events to reconnect our people, it can start on a one to one basis and build from there.

PWC's workforce of the future report highlights the importance of building a clear narrative with people, being open and honest about the future, and remembering that how people feel affects the business today. People need ample opportunity to learn, grow, connect and contribute. Building a culture of trust means being open and showing emotionally connected leadership. A culture of trust equals an open, empathetic, understanding and driven workforce. We have a responsibility to our people, organisations should never forget that. We should try, where we can, to assume the best in people. Collectively, we've been going through one of the most difficult periods of change and uncertainty in a generation. Future success depends on leaderships ability to build and maintain organisational trust.

Sources and inspiration:

Some excellent webinars from Poppulo on HR, well being and effective comms https://www.poppulo.com/resources/#data-filter=.webinars

https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/ceo-survey/2020/reports/pwc-23rd-global-ceo-survey.pdf

https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/financial-services/publications/human-capital-2020-beyond.html

https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/people-organisation/publications/workforce-of-the-future.html

https://www.inc.com/marissa-levin/harvard-neuroscience-research-reveals-8-ways-to-build-a-culture-of-trust.html

Some really helpful questions to ask yourself when assessing your personal behavior in building trust: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/managers-are-you-building-a-culture-of-trust