The Increased Importance of Trust in Times of Distance

Trust is always an important factor in human relationships, whether they’re business-related or personal. 

During times when physical proximity is not possible--like what many of us are experiencing now during social distancing due to COVID-19--it can be even more crucial, paradoxically, even as it’s more difficult to project and receive.

The barriers to the usual social clues that help us gauge connection with someone we’re interacting with--non-verbal hints like body language, eye contact, etc.--aren’t as easily readable through a Zoom meeting, and even more difficult to transmit (and impossible to see) through group emails or phone conferences.

But when conversations and partnerships to achieve goals are put into a situation where there’s even more tension (constraints of social distancing, increased pressure to perform as businesses struggle to keep up in a new normal), trust is even more important because the best work is done when there’s good rapport.

So how do teams solve this conundrum?

The good news is that trust-building and social distancing aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. It takes concerted effort to build trust in great situations where people are working together in person, so of course that means it will take more effort when we’re apart, but the exercise can be one that teaches several meaningful lessons that we can use throughout life, in a variety of circumstances.

One of the tools we use with businesses in our work at Quest Executive Services is Franklin Covey’s Speed of Trust. It’s designed to help leaders and team members alike to improve relationships by building trust, and one of the elements is a list of 13 behaviors that leaders who instill high levels of trust exhibit. Here’s a peek at the top 3…

Straight Talk. Certain amounts of softening language can be helpful, but if someone is straining to figure out your meaning, it can lead to misunderstanding, which can foster mistrust.

Demonstrated Respect. It’s admirable to be a strong leader, who instills respect in others, but respect has to be a two-way street to gain the most productivity.

Creating Transparency. Nothing kills connection faster than lack of understanding. Openness about expectations and clear conversations about what’s happening, with as little obscure language as possible, is best for keeping things clear.

Whether you’re in a direct management position or not, it’s always possible to position yourself as a leader if you understand what it really means. True leadership isn’t running the show; it’s exhibiting the behaviors that you know to be the best for the overall mission and your team members. What are some concrete ways you can do that when you’re only seeing someone through a screen or communicating through email or by phone? Since language is the one thing in common with all of the various communication modalities, focus on that. Try and shape your language so that it’s...

1. Direct. Something that accomplishes all of the above goals of Straight Talk and Creating Transparency is language that is clear and direct. This can be challenging; many of us are taught to “beat around the bush”, but in fact it’s only possible to gain trust when you’re perceived as trustworthy. The right people will value honesty. That being said, you can also make sure that direct communication is…

2. Thoughtful. To Demonstrate Respect, it’s important to think about communication. It is possible to be both direct and thoughtful. If you struggle to do this, try rehearsing what you’re going to say before talking to an associate about a difficult topic. Have a few words and phrases that you can use to reassure your intent. “I know you’ve put a lot of work into this,” or “I can see that this is important to you, and I respect that” can go a long way towards softening potentially difficult conversations, and when removed from each other, people can need more reassurance. It’s not indicative of weakness.

3. Productive. We’ve all joked about the “meeting that could have been an email” but the truth is that sometimes connecting in real time is more productive. Keep it that way by focusing comments on outcomes (when natural), and winding up meetings with short, one or two sentence recaps that ensure everyone has their marching orders. Even if all that happened is that everyone had a chance to reconnect and get clarity about an issue, it’s not wasted time. Being the one to say that can help confirm it for others and engender a feeling of connection and team work.

Connection is always important, and trust is always a key element of that. Keeping connected and building trust during challenging times isn’t impossible, and with the right guidance and tools, it can propel your business relationships forward, both now and in the future.