ELI Group's Blog

Having Strategic Impact

In order to work at a truly strategic level, its important to have “trust.”  Interestingly, organizational trust represents somewhat of a paradox — being both vulnerable and powerful at the same time.  The real question that leaders need to ask themselves is not ”who do I trust?” but instead “who trusts me?”  Sadly, research has shown that typically others judge us to be less trustworthy than we judge ourselves.

“The Thin Book of Trust” by Charles Feltman describes the four key factors associated with building trust:

1. Sincerity — walking the talk
2. Reliability — keeping promises
3. Competence — having the ability to perform
4. Care — keeping others’ interests in mind

The consequences of operating in a low-trust environment are huge and are highly linked to organizational goals and your ability to be strategic.  For example, if you are not trusted by your colleagues, then you will likely have restricted access to information, organizational silos will exist, and unhealthy competition may ensue.  If you are not trusted by your direct reports they may avoid challenging your decisions and even withhold necessary data from your decision-making meetings.

In order to determine if you are trusted enough within your organization to have a strategic impact, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I have access to all the information I need to make informed decisions?
• Am I able to encourage disagreements and challenges to my way of thinking?
• Do I see and recognize the broader organizational picture versus just my point-of view?