
The Pew Research center shares that 54% of Americans get their news and information from social media. That percentage increases as you look at the youngest generation in our workforce. While social media gives us the benefit of immediacy of input and crowd sourced ideas, it also comes with the challenges of inaccuracy and misinformation.
Combine this trend with the exciting infusion of AI into daily work. Employees can ask their AI service to answer simple questions, proofread and clean up emails, or quickly summarize and interpret vast amounts of data. But despite the gains in efficiency, many employees have trust issues with AI including fears of bias in the data, nervousness about jobs being replaced by the technology, and a perceived “black box” effect when it comes to understanding the logic of how AI is making decisions and drawing conclusions.
These seismic shifts in information consumption as well as other political and market factors are leaving employees craving trust and authenticity in the human relationships they have with their leaders and co-workers.
Self-assess your authenticity by asking yourself these questions:
Purpose Alignment
Have I taken the time to connect my personal sense of Purpose to our company’s Purpose?
Have I shared that connection with my team?
How often do I link my decisions and actions to our higher Purpose?
Consistently making decisions and actions that reflect your and the company’s Purpose creates a dependability and predictability that increases trust.
Empathetic Curiosity
How well do I know my employees’ professional and personal goals?
Do I spend time in 1:1’s getting to know my team personally?
Do I listen reflectively and follow up when communicating with others?
Empathetic curiosity invites open communication. Armed with the employees’ perspectives, goals, and needs, leaders can respond and problem-solve from a more informed and human place. This results in employees feeling seen, heard, and valued.
Productive Vulnerability
Do I share and own my mistakes with my team?
Do I communicate what I learn from my missteps?
Do I feel like I always must have all the answers?
Leaders who show their whole selves at work build stronger human connection and team engagement. When they admit when they don't have an answer to a problem and actively seek input from their peers or colleagues, they are rewarded with increased trust, collaboration, and a sense of shared responsibility around outcomes.
Transparency
Do I share as much information as I can in a clear and timely way?
Do I explain the rationale behind decisions or changes?
Do I check for understanding when I’ve shared new information?
When colleagues understand the real reasons for changes, setbacks, or struggles within the company or their team, they can contribute solutions and will feel more invested in applying them. Being trusted to contribute ideas fuels collaboration, trust, and increased job satisfaction for team members.
Growth Mindset
Do I believe people are capable of learning new skills and talents or do I think intelligence and talents are a fixed part of a person’s capacities?
Do I pause and share how my team’s knowledge and abilities are improving over time?
Do I visibly accept feedback or challenges as opportunities to grow?
Growth mindsets contribute to a psychologically safe environment where individuals believe they can take reasoned risks to innovate and improve without fear of a punitive response. Instead of punishment, team members learn and bounce back when inevitable setbacks happen. Authentic leaders create a bond of shared inquiry and accountability which supports creativity, builds trust, and motivates performance.
We are here to help!
Do you want your leaders to strengthen authenticity as part of their leadership style? Connect with D. Whitney Consulting for webinars, LMS compatible micro-courses, and quick guides.
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