Jane likes to keep her distance. She avoids personal conversations. Jane feels that if she knows her team or they know her too well, then they will manipulate her. She caught this approach from an aloof boss in her past as he advised her to keep her distance.
Do the people you work with really know you? Do they know your passions? How well do they know what really motivates you?
This three-part series on enhancing trust acknowledges that trust is valuable. Our teams are more productive and engaged when they have trusting relationships. Yes, particularly when they trust their boss. This kind of environment yields bottom-line results and personal satisfaction.
The ideas and suggestions in this series are built on the CrossGroup Leadership Model. In this article, we focus on passion or social goodwill. The previous articles emphasized credibility and insight. All of these focus on you as a leader. You have the ability to influence others in positive ways as you build these qualities into your life and practice.
Passion
Jack Welch of GE fame said, “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” Passion creates a drive to solve challenges and succeed where others languish. Synonyms for passion include affection, dedication, excitement, emotion, fervor, intensity, zeal, and spirit. Would you like these words to describe your boss? Now consider the antonyms of passion: apathy, coolness, indifference, disinterest, dislike, or disregard. Who wants to work for that boss?
So, what are you passionate about? When you reflect this passion professionally, what does that look like? According to Robert Kaplan: “Passion is about excitement. It has more to do with your heart than your head. It’s critical because reaching your full potential requires a combination of your heart and your head. In my experience, your intellectual capability and skills will take you only so far.”*
Going through the motions of life can drain you of passion. Take some time to explore the times in your life that you were doing what you love and you were doing your best work. Find ways to rekindle that emotion and express it in your current work. These kinds of connections can reignite your professional passion. Experience the passion and share it with others. Don’t hide it.
Share Your Passion
People genuinely want to learn what you care about. Your direct reports want to see that enthusiasm and sparkle in your eye. Don’t hold back for fear of being misunderstood or showing your heart to others. Being vulnerable engenders trust. And it makes you human!
Share Your Intentions
Being passionate about the development of others is contagious and generates trust. We can articulate the plain facts, or we can share the facts with our motives attached. For example, the boss can say, “John, you’re approved to attend the Atlanta conference.” Or she can say, “John, congratulations, you are attending the Atlanta conference next month. I am eager to hear about that new method that is being presented. Take great notes and plan to share these ideas. The whole team will benefit from hearing from you in our next staff meeting.”
It’s one thing to ask everyone to work an extra 10 hours this week on the project to get it done on time and a whole other thing to describe client retention, quality, excellence, or keeping promises to our clients. Telling someone that they are attending a conference versus sharing with them your reasons for doing so will go a long way in building these relationships.
Seek the Passion of Others
Professionals are at their best when they are engaging with their desire. Some are passionate about learning. Others want to get the details right or work collaboratively. Some like to make important decisions while others are enthusiastic about telling the story. As you learn what others are passionate about and allow the job to somehow embrace this preference, you are building a powerful social bond.
Trust is built when we let down our guard and allow others to see our own emotional enthusiasm. Trust is truly bonding when we craft job responsibilities so that just a few minutes or hours each week are reflections of personal passion.
Bosses who are credible, insightful, and passionate always make a difference for their employees. Sometimes this difference can last a lifetime!
I hope you made the journey through the other two parts of this trust series. Check our website for these articles and feel free to share your comments.
* https://hbr.org/2015/03/two-ways-to-clarify-your-professional-passions
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