“Once bitten twice shy” and the value Trust

I love my dogs, Millie and Henry (red jacket) but I have to say there are times when it has been a challenge. I once read that owning Jack Russell terriers is “not for the faint-hearted” and I can agree with that. There was the time when Millie ran off chasing a rabbit across several farmers fields and the time when Henry stole and ate a whole cooked chicken leading to an enormous vet bill and a very hungry family one Sunday. They are playful, lovable and fun but not always the most trustworthy members of our family. An interesting thought as I start to write this months blog about trust.

The purpose of Trust: Stephen Covey writes, “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships”. He is not alone in his thinking and it comes up time and time again in our conversations with our clients and their teams. When there’s trust, people feel safe to share their ideas, take risks, and work together towards common goals. Trust enables us to have productive disagreements, be creative and have open and honest conversations. When people feel trusted they say they feel valued and are more likely to stick around and contribute to the company’s long-term success. It strengthens client relationships and people are more likely to keep coming back to companies they find reliable and trustworthy.

However, this does raise another question; do we all share the same definition of trust? What is Trust?

At Pro-Development we take great pride in the long term client relationships we build and the trusted partnerships they become. So much so that Trust is one of the key values that drive our whole approach to business. We took some time to define what trust means to us and created our own definition:- We work collaboratively as a supportive team with our clients and partners who know they can rely on us to support them, challenge them and hold honest conversations, always with kindness, integrity and good intention. We trust each other to work with diligence and good conscience. This clear and simple definition helps us all know what is expected of us, how we will behave and, in turn, forms the foundations upon which many of our day to day decisions are made. As a business it acts as a guarantee for our clients who can expect the same levels of honesty, reliability, communication and confidentiality from every member of our team. From our very first meeting, to designing our programmes, bespoke development and ongoing support; we offer the same level of commitment, care and attention to detail. Above everything, our clients keep coming back because they trust us to give them what they need.

Have you agreed the definition of your values with colleagues and do you “live” them in everything you do?

Trust at work : We all need to feel part of a safe and supportive workplace. Just as we enjoy the process of becoming a member of our clients teams, we have also built an amazing team within Pro-Development too. We took time to define the behaviours in our organisation that describe how we will demonstrate trust in each other. This doesn’t mean we can’t just be ourselves. Trust means taking time to get to know each other, taking time to agree our work projects and priorities and then giving each other the freedom to do it in a way that suits our preferred way of working. Sometimes that can be tough but we know how we want to work together and the type of place we enjoy working in. We want to work with colleagues we trust and be in an environment in which we can all thrive. It takes time and patience to do this well but its worth it. It’s important to us that we live our values and see the benefits every day. We give it specific attention, recognise actions that help us build our trusting relationships and take regular time out to reflect on our progress.

How do you show trust in your colleagues at work and recognise the trust they have in you?

Perhaps the questions have given you pause for thought. It would be lovely to hear what you think. Call us on 01904 628838 if you’d like to explore how to build even stronger trust in your team. In the meantime, back to the subject of my dogs. Yes, I love them and yes, we have a great relationship. Experience tells me that I can always trust them to be fun, loving and my number one fans – just as Jack Russells should be. But as for a roast chickens – well, that is “once bitten, twice shy.” Henry’s preferences for those are just too high so they will always need close guarding. A small trade off that I’m willing to make!