Your trust will prompt better behaviors in others. Yes, it’s true!
Yet, so many bosses and co-workers seem to go ither way with it. When in doubt, they mistrust rather than trust.
The feel of mistrust: I think we can all remember a time when a boss or work partner doubted our abilities. How did you feel? How did you behave? My guess was that you performed slightly less than your standard rather than above your standard.
The energy of belief: And then, let’s remember a time when our manager or supervisor said “you can do it!” He or she believed in us. How did you feel in this circumstance? How did you perform? MOst likely, you performed to the top of your abilities… You didn’t want to let your boss down. You went the extra mile, right?
Chances are, somewhere along the way, you’ve experienced both of these approaches. So, you have actual experience to draw from.
Here’s the message:
When in doubt, trust.
Why it works:
People rise to the expectations of others. When people expect you to perform well, you have a better chance of meeting or exceeding those expectations, just like the examples above.
And, to answer the objection always seems to come up:
But what if they don’t perform well? What if I trust them, and they mess up?
Well, here’s what I think. I think that may happen in about 1% of the cases. This can’t work 100% of the time, you’re right. But mistrusting to catch that 1% loses the opportunity for the 99% who will perform to your expectations, and most likely exceed them.
