Trust Is Essential For Business Growth

There is something unique about employees with high potential. They have qualities you don’t often see in others, setting them apart from the rest of the pack. Despite all this, however, why is there still hesitation among managers and business owners when it comes to delegating high-ticket projects to star employees? What is behind such mental reservations?

High-potential employees are those who possess extraordinary skills or abilities that allow them to climb the corporate ladder given the proper training and conditions. You would better see their value once they are placed in positions where their competence and skills are actually put to the test. Most employees, if not all, have been hired because they have the necessary skills that match the company’s needs. This means that in the first place, they should be competent enough to produce quality output. But why is this not always the fact?

Behavior vs. expectations

High-potential employees showing utmost professionalism will draw your attention to them. But why does it feel like they don’t have the leadership quality you are looking for?

Maybe your expectations of your employees are somewhat unrealistic and disproportionate with the company’s ability to recruit a high caliber pool of talent. You have to understand that not all employees will match your expectations, and not all of your expectations are fit for the company.

See if the behavior that your employee is showing can already be a great asset for the company, especially if they are put in the right position and assigned suitable tasks. Sometimes, the type of leader you imagine is not what your staff needs, but the type of leader that one of your employees already is. Understand the demands of certain functions and know how to suspend your expectations and realign them to match the actual competence requirement that these functions demand.

Competence versus trust

Trust is the key to delegation, training and organization. This means that no matter how competent your employees are, you will never fully be able to utilize such competence if you do not learn how to trust.

True, trust is never easy to give, but you have to start somewhere. Why not try delegating the small things first, like letting them decide where to eat for the company lunch, what pieces of furniture would go well with the office, etc. Maybe you will soon feel more comfortable in trusting the skills of your employees and letting them grow in the company.

It is impossible to grow a business without some measure of trust in at least a few people. While this is a double-edged sword, there is no way to achieve all your company goals by yourself.

It is also possible, however, to trust too much. In this light, it is imperative that checks and balances be part of your system no matter how much you trust an individual. Do not think you have to leave the potential outcome to luck. How you manage is the biggest factor in reducing the risk of your trust.

*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin. D-4, Sunday, March 8, 2015. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.