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How To Build Trust At Work, Because You Know You Want It

It's all about being reliable and predictable.
If you want to be a trustworthy employee, you need to earn the right.
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If you want to be a trustworthy employee, you need to earn the right.

Being a trusted employee is a status many of us strive to achieve. It's not as easy as it sounds and, in most cases, it takes many years to climb the ladder to a place where your boss has so much faith in you, you're given more responsibility.

Trust in the work place is multi-layered; it's about being reliable, being yourself and proving to others, time and time again, that you are trustworthy.

Rowdy McLean, international keynote speaker on motivation, leadership and culture told The Huffington Post Australia trust is a powerful gift.

"When you have trust, you receive a licence and a freedom to do things without permission or approval. You get the right to take a few risks and push the boundaries a little," McLean said.

"Trust has to be earned and, when it is given, you have to place enormous value on it. Because when it is taken away it is extremely hard to get back."

If you want to gain your employers' trust, be prepared to work for it.
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If you want to gain your employers' trust, be prepared to work for it.

One of the most important ways to earn trust, is to be reliable and predictable.

"Show up on time. Do the work. Behave in the same way on a regular basis. People trust people that are predictable because they know what they are going to get. You can even be unpredictable, in a predictable way. Know when is the right time to introduce that crazy idea or that quirky behaviour."

CEO of The Collective Lisa Messenger told HuffPost Australia the issue of trust is her number one 'not-negotiable' and that's not just for business, but for life.

"It takes some time to build up trust and, unfortunately, it only takes one bad thing to happen to tear it all down. I have my three team managers who have been with me for many years and I trust them with every single part of the business," Messenger said.

"But it takes more than just being reliable. It's about holding the company values closer than anything else, including respect. It's about going that extra mile and taking the initiative, pushing parametres to prove you can be trustworthy."

Lisa Messenger values employees who constantly surprise her.
Collective Hub
Lisa Messenger values employees who constantly surprise her.

Messenger advises employees to take very seriously the vision and values of the company you're working for. If you do that, your employers will notice and trust will build.

"Take a good look at your job description and what's expected of you. Also, as an employer I always notice the people who do things that surprise and delight me. The people that do unexpected things that go above and beyond their job description that builds trust in my head and my heart. I give those people more responsibility."

Being authentic is another trait Rowdy McLean believes will help you in your quest to becoming a trustworthy employee

"There are few things people trust more than you being you. If people think there are different versions of you, they don't know which one they are agreeing to trust. I don't mean you have to be boring and beige, just be you," McLean said.

"Walk your talk. Do what you say you are going to do, in the way you say you are going to do it, when you say you are going to do it, or don't say anything. If your actions don't match what you talk about, no one will trust you."

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