Trust is defined as “the willingness to be vulnerable to another party when that party cannot be controlled or monitored” (Mayer & Gavin 2005, p. 874).
In being vulnerable to another party, it is clear that there is a degree of risk involved. It is apparent that there is a relationship between trust and risk. As it is apparent that there is a relationship between trust and risk, then is it safe to say that the relationship between a leader and a team member is built upon a trust that calls upon the trustee (team member) to take a risk and respond favorably to the leader?
“One top-level manager told us he was initially scared to share such sensitive information, but when he took the risk, people responded with a more mature understanding and a sense of appreciation for being …show more content…
1). Mr. Span identifies the issues that a lack of trust in leadership can impact their employee’s performance. According to Mr. Span (2015), “Trust is the foundation of any successful relationship, both personal and professional, and when it’s broken, it is extremely hard to repair. When employees feel they can’t trust leadership they feel unsafe, like no one has their back, and then spend more energy on self-preservation and job hunting than performing at their job” (p. 1).
The company then experiences high turnover and a lack of growth from a lack of high performance. The employee will do just enough to keep their job until they can find placement somewhere else. “Lack of trust reduces transparency and communication” (Span, 2015, p.1). When employees feel they are not being heard and their voice does not count, then they will avoid communicating. They may also avoid communication for fear of being labeled a trouble maker. Lack of transparency on the part of the leadership can cause an attitude to develop among the employees that shun being transparent with