Bob Cratchit didn't expect his boss, Ebenezer Scrooge, to hire someone to help him with his mounting workload, didn't anticipate going home to his family before bedtime, or hope for a workplace where his ideas were encouraged or his talents engaged. He didn't expect a raise or benefits or days off.
There were no false proclamations from Scrooge. As self-serving and stone-hearted as Dickens' character was, Bob Cratchit understood Scrooge was who he said he was.
Scrooge didn't profess that Bob was his most important asset, or suggest if Bob worked harder he'd get rewarded. Scrooge didn't claim that they were in it together, or that they both were suffering in economic downtimes.
Scrooge made no such proclamations. He rendered no unkept promises. He put out no dangling carrots or set no expectations that if deadlines were met, quarterly goals achieved, or problems solved, that Bob would be rewarded, help would arrive, work-family balance restored, or working conditions improved.
In that respect, Scrooge got it right. Here are t
hree things Ebenezer can teach us about building trust at work:1. What he said and what he did were in alignment. What plagues many workplaces a hundred and fifty years later is that our alignment is way off. What we say and what we do as leaders and managers in most organizations fuels the spiral of discontent and distrust. And too often, we don't even know it. What trust impressions are you giving?
2. He was who he professed to be. No insincere caring. No hallow praise. No unsuspecting hypocrisy. Of course, I'm not suggesting, Scrooge's despicable management style is to be emulated. But we need to look in our respective organizational mirrors. How can we expect a sustainable economic recovery with a workforce of disengaged and distrusting employees? Or reignite passions when only "12 percent of employees believe their employer genuinely listens to and cares" about them?
3.He accepted feedback, made self-adjustments, and changed. The transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge from self-serving boss to enlightened man is more harrowing than most workplace ah-has. But for those of us who lead organizations, manage teams, or run businesses we may soon face our own nightmare if workplace trust is not rebuilt. Here's 5 Things Your Staff Wants You to Know.
Like Scrooge, we've been given the gift of sight of what a future could be. And like him, we can use that vision to transform ourselves and our organizations. There's still time to ignite the talents of those we lead, rebuild the trust, open a dialogue, and build a winning future together of economic well-being. Here are a few tips on how.
More trust building insights and tips can be found in my book, Hitting Your Stride.
