Leadership Trust: Build It, Keep It by Christopher Evans

Author:Christopher Evans [Christopher Evans]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Center for Creative Leadership
Published: 2020-03-29T16:00:00+00:00

“It’s Hard to Put My Trust in Others”

Let’s listen in on a conversation between a project leader, Ethan, and his coach, Karl.

Ethan: “Years ago I let some team members do their part on a project that ended up a disaster, and I almost got fired. Ever since then I’ve had a need to control my projects to make sure they’re done well. It’s my reputation on the line and it’s hard to put my trust in others who won’t do the same job I can do.”

Karl: “Are you telling me you have all the time necessary to get all your work done?”

Ethan: “No, of course not; I have to oversee so many projects closely, like the Chartman project we discussed during our last call.”

Karl: “Ethan, I hear two things from you. First is that you can’t possibly get done all the things you need to do. Second, I hear your need to oversee or manage many projects closely, which is time-consuming and takes you away from your other work. Seeing that you cannot do both of these things well, what would you need to have in place on the Chartman project to be more comfortable letting go some of that constant oversight?”

Ethan: “I would like my team to deliver an impressive product design and I would like Grahame to ensure his people gave us a fully scoped and researched project plan, but I can’t rely on either of them at this point.”

Karl: “So when you say you can’t rely on them, this sounds like a trust issue to me. You can’t trust that they’ll produce a product design that you’ll be comfortable with. What steps could you take to make that happen?”

Ethan: “For my team, I think biweekly project reviews would keep me informed and let me guide them along. For Grahame’s team, I would have to have his assurance that we both understand the project needs, deliverables, and time frames. I could meet with him about this, and I could have my team leads set up a project-review system with his team.”

Karl: “If you did these things, how will you and your people benefit from this approach compared with what you do now?”

Ethan: “I suppose I would be helping my people be more accountable and independent. It might improve my relationship with Grahame, by reaching out to him rather than blaming his team for not being able to read my mind. For myself, I suppose it would help me remember that I have a choice in how I address these issues. Now I have to go do it.”

Karl: “And if you run into barriers?”

Ethan: “I would sit down and work out what I need to feel comfortable with letting go of some control and still get the outcome I require.”

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