Building Trust

it, and in doing so he created a lifetime ally in me. That's the power of mercy.

8. Be transparent about the change that's coming.

You won't make people feel safe by hiding the truth; you'll do it by setting a precedent of sharing as much information as you can. You're not just doing it to build trust, but because you're counting on them to help you figure out a course forward. Make sure you let them know that.

9. There are four things in particular you should share to ease their anxiety:

1. The process that will be used to determine exactly what will change, and how.

2. The people who will be involved in the process. (Make sure that at some point that includes them, even if it's just in the form of a feedback meeting.)

3. The timing of this process.

4. When the next update will be.

Again, people fear uncertainty more than anything, so give them things that they can be certain about within the broader environment of change.

Put Your Pride to the Side “Pride is the only known disease that makes everyone sick except the person who has it” is a favorite quote of mine. Pride is anathema to leadership. Actually, I would take that a step further to say that more than not being prideful, a leader needs to leave his or her ego at home to be most effective.

As the leader, you don't get to be the hero. Your job is to make heroes out of others, not by “giving” them credit, but by giving them enough responsibility so that when things go right, they actually deserve that credit. Another CEO once told me that his “make or break” question when interviewing senior executives was, “How many people who have worked for you have gone on to higher positions in the organization?” If they can't name several, they're out of the running because it suggests they've failed to nurture their teams, failed to share credit for wins, or in all likelihood, both.

When you shine the spotlight on your team, you win their trust, but the effect goes beyond that. When others in the organization see that you're motivated to help others succeed, not to burnish your own reputation, they start to trust you, too.

Putting your pride to the side means giving others not only credit, but also exposure. When you announce good news, don't hog the stage. Let others involved communicate the win. I know plenty of people who let others speak, but only when it's bad news being shared!

In fact, bad news is when it's your turn to grab the mic. I remember one project in particular that I had been brought in to turn around. Shortly after I came on, the VP of the business unit requested a status update, with the project leader in the room. Before the meeting, I asked the leader to let me do the talking. He must've been afraid I would throw him under the bus,

Dallas, H. J. (2015). Mastering the challenges of leading change : Inspire the people and succeed where others fail. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Created from capella on 2022-02-21 23:22:25.

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because when we got in the room, he immediately launched into a nervous, rambling explanation of why things had gone wrong. He looked like he was dodging responsibility, as was clear from the concerned faces of the executive team. I kicked the corner of his chair, once, twice, three times, trying to get him to stop—until finally I hit it so hard the chair rocked! That finally did it.

Once I started talking, my approach wasn't to blame him, or anybody. Instead, I led with the fact that I had run into similar problems on some of my own projects in the past. I highlighted the fact that though we were in the ditch, we were course correcting early enough that we wouldn't have to spend too much money getting back on track. We were doing what was needed to assess the situation and develop a plan. I told them we'd come back to them in two weeks with a report on the steps we'd taken.

The VP was happy with the report and even told us he appreciated our candor. The project leader was visibly and audibly relieved. (He actually let out a sigh.) After the meeting, he turned to me and said, “James, how did I do?”

Always honest, I responded, “If I would have had a gun, I would have shot you right between the eyes to get you to stop talking!”

We both laughed, and from then on, he trusted me 100 percent.

In that situation, it was enough not to point a finger. There are other times when I've actually taken the fall for someone else's mistake. The fact is, a leader can usually afford to take a few hits. Your reputation is already established, and the loyalty and trust you win by shouldering someone else's responsibility far outweighs any damage.

Finally, a leader needs the humility to acknowledge his blind spots. At GP, they called me “Hurricane James,” and the nickname followed me to Medtronic. It was mostly a compliment, but it had a little bite. My winds of change blew hard and fast, and every so often they left destruction in their wake. For example, Hurricane James sometimes moved so fast that we failed to ask all the right people the right questions to prepare ourselves. Some of my biggest early successes were followed by some of my biggest failures, as a result. I have been very thankful for the times that employees trusted me enough to point out oversights before we got started and stood their ground those times I tried to blow right past. That, combined with increased discipline around holding risk assessment sessions with, well, everybody, has saved me from uprooting more than a few trees and houses over the years.

By definition, blind spots can only be pointed out by others. A leader needs to encourage others, particularly subordinates, to have the courage to speak up when they see blind spots. If you don't ask people to be proactive, they're likely not to say anything, at least not to your face. Once they do bring a blind spot to your attention, listen and learn. If you think they might be off base, ask a couple other folks. Nine times out of 10, you'll find they were right on the money. Find a way to solve the problem—with their help. In doing so, you're not only improving your leadership ability, you're also creating a more trusting relationship.

As you lead change, there will be challenges that knock you off balance, times when things are breaking so fast that you see the despair in team members' faces and feel that you've let them

Dallas, H. J. (2015). Mastering the challenges of leading change : Inspire the people and succeed where others fail. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Created from capella on 2022-02-21 23:22:25.

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down. At that point, it will be trust that saves you. Trust that no matter how bad things are, you'll be able to lead the team back on track. Trust that you'll do everything it takes.

Even more important, you'll need trust in yourself to push past self-doubt that will inevitably flare up. The greater the positive difference a change initiative will make, especially a transformational one, the more moments of doubt a leader will have.

The next and final part of the book covers what a leader needs to do to persevere and press on.

Dallas, H. J. (2015). Mastering the challenges of leading change : Inspire the people and succeed where others fail. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Created from capella on 2022-02-21 23:22:25.

C o p yr

ig h t ©

2 0 1 5 . Jo

h n W

ile y

& S

o n s,

I n co

rp o ra

te d . A

ll ri g h ts

r e se

rv e d .