In a recent post, Simon Sinek discussed the importance of building trust. There are many different ways to build trust in a relationship, but Simon argues the most effective way is often picking up the phone and simply asking “How are you?” Several weeks ago I experienced the impact of this simple action first hand.
“Trust [noun] (what we feel) is often a result of trust [verb] (what we create).” – Stephen M.R. Covey
I lead a small field office several states away from our corporate headquarters. Seeming out of the blue I received a phone call from our very busy VP who oversees our entire business unit. He simply asked the question “How are you?” With that simple question and the brief conversation that followed he added to our foundation of trust. This 3-minute phone call was a simple reminder that my leader had my back.
Leaders add value when we intentionally take actions that build trust with those in our charge.
