Fostering Trust through Honesty and Accountability

As we conduct reference checks, it's a valuable exercise to self-reflect on how others might answer these questions about us or how we would review ourselves. One area of focus is accountability for mistakes and the reception of criticism or feedback. Can we honestly say that we take ownership of our mistakes without attempting to cover them up, becoming defensive, or blaming others? This aspect is crucial in building trust within a team, and it starts at the top.

Leaders set the tone for the rest of the team by admitting their mistakes and taking steps to rectify them. A culture that responds to mistakes with reprisal or shame fosters mistrust, concealment, and fear. As the Greek poet Archilochus said, “We don't rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” Leaders must model, communicate, and reinforce the behaviors they wish to see in their employees. Chris Stasiuk made an insightful observation on LinkedIn by comparing his daughter's volleyball coach to a team leader. She celebrated mistakes as demonstrations of courage to try and as opportunities for growth. She transformed the team’s culture from blame-gaming to collaborative problem solving. His take aways from this analogy are to create spaces where failure isn’t fatal, reward courage over perfection and build a culture of ownership, not finger-pointing.

It is also important to avoid double standards. Holding others to high standards while not holding oneself to the same undermines integrity. Conversely, setting excessively high standards for oneself and others can be exacting, tiresome, and unrealistic. Instead of berating ourselves or others for falling short, we should view these moments as opportunities for relational growth, built on vulnerability, honesty, and accountability. Most people strive to do their best in any situation, but we all have limitations, flaws, and weaknesses. Showing others grace and compassion fosters reciprocation for times when we mess up.

Acting with integrity and consistently aligning actions with promises ensures that when mistakes occur, they are seen as anomalies, and people are more likely to be patient and understanding. However, continually failing to follow through on commitments, being unreliable, or not learning from mistakes damages trustworthiness with coworkers, clients, and customers alike. If you are honest and have transparent communication with clients and customers, when mistakes are made or promises not delivered on, they will respect you and be more willing to continue working with you.

It is better to admit mistakes to manage your reputation rather than deny, ignore, or become defensive. Sometimes, mistakes need to be addressed privately between a manager and an employee to maintain respect and confidentiality. Other times, discussing mistakes as a team can facilitate learning, improve processes, and enhance accountability. By shifting the emphasis from disapproval and consequences to embracing mistakes as opportunities for growth, we can foster a culture of transparency and resilience.

Building trust involves humility, keeping promises, honest communication, accepting responsibility, and demonstrating competence. A workplace culture of trust leads to greater collaboration, productivity, support, and innovation.