Would you intentionally hire a new employee that is not trustworthy?
Of course not. That’s an easy question to answer.
Here’s a better question.
When you hire a new employee, do you have a straightforward conversation about the behaviors that create healthy trust? If not, why not?
Clarity is one of the key cultural ingredients that enables leaders to promote healthy trust. Trusting relationships thrive when clear expectations are cultivated and agreed upon on the front end. Most leaders can compile a quick list of the behaviors that destroy trust. Behaviors that create a toxic environment are in the front of mind. Bullying, retaliation, dishonesty, hidden agendas, and broken commitments generally make the top ten list. These are the deal breakers that derail candidates during the hiring process. However, if you are better at articulating the negative behaviors that destroy trust than you are the positive behaviors that build trust, it’s time to dig a little deeper.
Make a list of the top five behaviors that create trust. Provide enough detail in your description so that a new hire will understand what this behavior looks like in your company. Preparation for a successful onboarding process includes a developing a good grasp of the behaviors that create healthy trust. Here’s an example:
Constructive Conflict: We believe healthy trust grows in a leadership culture where constructive conflict is frequent. Our team members engage in respectful debate. It’s healthy. When we disagree, we focus on the issue rather than the person. Constructive conflict is expected.
Hire for trust. Once hired, all employees throughout an organization need to understand that their behaviors contribute to the level of trust in the culture. Is an employee a good fit? Not unless, the person can be expected to contribute to the culture in a positive way. A bad fit is costly.
Spencer Stuart, global executive search firm, emphasizes the implications of hiring the wrong CEO.
Selecting a CEO is arguably one of the most vital decisions a board makes. The costs of selecting the wrong chief executive are immense, and the impact on the enterprise is far-reaching. Companies that choose the wrong leader can suffer hits to their stock price and market capitalization and lose in a variety of areas — momentum, opportunities, reputation, customer goodwill and, perhaps most importantly, trust within the organization, which can take years to re-establish.