Page 112 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

trust or Bust � 91

ing power away from others. When those things happen, you have
to step in quickly. You can’t just take someone out to lunch and talk
through the problem. You can’t get two people in a room and say
they’re not leaving until the problem is resolved. You can’t wait until
the problem is too hard to settle.
Open up discussions about problems that “can’t be discussed.”
Don’t let the rumor mill go wild. Address the unspoken biases,
jealousies, and historical mistakes that permeate the feelings people
have about their work environment. Admit your own weaknesses and
mistakes—everyone else is talking about them, why shouldn’t you?
Get it out on the table, and deal with it.

provide regular Forums for group discussion
As a mobile manager, you don’t have the benefit of people dropping
by your office to kick a problem around; therefore, you have to provide
the container for the can to be kicked around in. You want to make it
safe for people to share thoughts, ideas, and fears they have with one
another. Your ability to do that will demonstrate to people whether or
not you can be trusted with their vulnerability.
Encourage people to challenge others in supportive ways. Get
people into the habit of bringing up outlandish ideas, which everyone
can applaud for their creativity. Encourage improvement but not per-
fectionism. Debrief failures for opportunities to learn, not to blame.
Every time you support people for allowing themselves to be vulner-
able you provide opportunities for building trust.

` summAry

Trust is something that is invisible to the eye but has tangible re-
sults. It is based on the relationships people have with one another.
Trust is a source of sustainable competitive advantage. A lack of trust