In both management and leadership, management skills combined with trust are at the core of what the team must feel and experience in order to function as a high-productivity unit. In today’s difficult economic times, the “trust factor” is a powerful ingredient to face the challenges.

There are any number of things a manager does, or can do, to build trust with the members of their team. However, building trust does not lend itself to some technique or contrived behavior that is not an honest part of the managers character. Many times, a manager may be acting or relating in a way that does not help to build trust and may not be a natural way the manager behaves. These unintended trust-busters can be recognized and over-come.

Perhaps one of the best ways for managers and leaders to become acutely aware of how Trust with employees manifests itself is to see how other people perceive it. When trust exists for someone under the leadership of a manager, you will hear them articulate it in some of the following ways.

So, what does “Trust in a  Manager” look and feel like from the perspective of an employee?

• When I interact with my manager, I feel he/she is being themselves and authentic.
• Although I understand that the my manager has to make decisions and do what’s right for the business, I always feel my manager has my best interests at heart.
• When business challenges and problems occur, and things are very uncertain, I have faith in my manager anyway because of past experience.
• I trust my manager because he/she is forthright and does not have a hidden agenda. Openness is the key.
• My manager is always very consistent and “walks the talk.”

These “trust-thoughts” can help all of us as managers to take a look in the mirror and see if our management and leadership behaviors would encourage this employee thinking. It is all about the quality of our relationship with each employee, and with the team as a whole. There must be a fundamental honesty and sincerity about a managers efforts to build a solid working relationship with each person. The purpose behind a managers effort to build this relationship is to “make everyone know they count and matter” both to the manager and to the organization.

An employees feeling of Trust in their manager is also a function of time and experience. What has been the history of the employee’s relationship with a manager? Sometimes a past occurrence is still preventing the development of trust. Managers, who senses that an employee who has been with the manager is not showing trust, may need to have an open and purposeful conversation. the manager can start with a general question about “how they employee feels about the team and about his or her relationship with the manager.” This will take some effort and probing but the manager may be able to draw out the issue. Once on the table, the manager and employee can discuss things candidly and build the framework to move forward into a trusting relationship.

The point here is that Trust counts. Where trust exists, there is much less “noise” in the working relationships and execution of work assignments and tasks.