Pillar 2 Trust

In last week’s discussion of Pillar 2 we reviewed the importance of trust relationships, including our work relationships. I think we all agree that trust must be a two-way street from the top down and the bottom up. I asked last week for feedback from team members on how they view the role of trust, where we are as a company with this pillar and things we can do to improve. I was a bit surprised, but very encouraged, with the feedback that I received. Here are a few of the messages that I received

“I have been with Mid South for more than a year. There are MANY positive things tat I could say, but the BIGGEST thing I feel is trust. Words here align with actions, and all align with my personal beliefs. I feel like my voice is heard. Trust in any relationship requires give and take. It requires time. It must be cultivated, pruned, improved, refined, but never neglected”.

“Building trust can be difficult to build, especially with those we don’t know well or see but a few times a year. It is a personal goal for me to build strong working relationships with my co-workers. Our actions show how trustworthy we are. Maintaining trust is done by being a person of your word and continuing to have consistent, genuine relationships. We are called to love, and love is how we build trust”.

“I believe that ineffective communications will foster a lack of trust in relationships. I have learned that if I don’t have the full story my brain will fill in the gaps with what ‘I think’ is true. I have learned to ask vs allowing space to fill in the gaps. Often, what we hear about others becomes a perceived reality if we don’t hear from that person”.

WOW! What profound insights. I think it is amazing what we can learn from listening to our own team members. There was much more but I trimmed down in the interest of time. Here are three quick things I learned about building trust at Mid South:

1. We are truly blessed to work at a Christian company where faith is our foundation, and we can speak about that faith and work out our faith in our jobs every day. I hope we will be ever mindful of that blessing. That should create a minute-by-minute sense of gratitude that impacts the way we treat and interact with others.

2. We must make a personal commitment to building strong relationships. Don’t wait for others to do this. Let the change begin with you (inside each one of us). Let your actions reflect trust. Make and keep promises. This s an inside-out job. “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12).

3. Listen – Effective communication always begins here. Don’t assume, don’t fill-in-the blank. Ask questions that help you find the whole story so we can understand others completely. This will eliminate so many problems, build trust and improve all our relationships. This is a perfect transition into our third Pillar.