You Can’t Change Without TRUST

How many times have you heard eager grumblings of the silver bullet your organization just snagged? Come on, you know the one I'm talking about ... the change agent, the disrupter, the innovator, the real "go-getter" that's going to come in and "whip us all into shape!"

Maybe you've been this person in your career.

Maybe you’ve been the hero responsible for bringing this person in.

Maybe you've just seen it play out from afar.

Either way, I bet you’ll agree that no new hire – no matter how great – can truly generate results on their own.

Here’s why:

1. At our most basic, instinctual, survivalist, caveman core we NEED to belong.

We were not designed to thrive in a role where we are one person butting up against an entire cohort, especially one that doesn’t trust you or trust the need for movement.

No one’s emotional well is deep enough to battle all day, every day.

2. Great business is never done by one person.

The good stuff, the real meaningful results, are accomplished when TEAMS of people (you know … humans with real goals, hang-ups, flaws, perspectives, and ambitions) not only work well together but TRUST one another.

The most important skill you can order up in a Change-Agent-Disrupter-Innovator salad is TRUST-building.

If you believe your organization needs to: evolve, grow, adapt, change, move, YOU need to take inventory of where your people are and set the pace and the narrative accordingly.

Once the groundwork is laid and you’re ready to add a new mind (or two) to the mix, you need to make sure that they have the right aptitudes to build internal relationships, read a (virtual) room, communicate clearly, inspire confidence, and chip away until alignment is accomplished.

I’ve been fortunate enough to see this done well at my current firm Thought Ensemble.

In addition to behaving this way internally, the organization THRIVES in this arena for clients as THE TEAM interweaves transformation, change, diversity planning, leadership coaching, and overarching strategy into every meeting, plan, and discussion.

Learn more about the work we do here.