Building C-Suite Trust

We recently explored the role C-suite trust plays in strategic plan formulation, alignment and execution – key ingredients to every strategic plan’s success. Today’s post is about building this trust. 

Trust Begins at the Top

The CEO drives C-suite trust by hiring the right people, modeling trust-building behaviors, and, if necessary, addressing interpersonal conflict.

1. Hire Right

   • Hiring for trust-building leadership is a crucial but often overlooked element in building executive teams.

   • Interview candidates with the three elements of trust in mind: will they be seen by peers as reliable and competent, and will they put the organization first?

   • Do they put a premium on operating with integrity, or do they believe results matter more than principled behaviors?

     
     

2. Model Trust-Building Behaviors

   • Take Ownership – Taking ownership of a problem’s root cause, and withholding blame, signals “organization first.” Others look favorably on this and over time will begin doing it themselves.

   • Be Steady – Exhibiting a steady demeanor and responding evenly to good and bad news is a competence indicator and inspires confidence.

   • Drop by Often – Dropping by unannounced for informal visits demonstrates availability, strengthens relationships and inspires trust.  

     
     

3. Address Interpersonal Conflict

   Interpersonal conflict between two executives will flow down their reporting lines, creating friction between their groups and compromising the organization’s internal machinery. When it arises, address it head on.

Practice Productive Conflict

C-suite trust is reinforced by practicing “productive conflict” during executive team meetings, whenever the agenda allows.   

1. Encourage Productive Conflict – Actively draw out dissent or assign a "devil’s advocate" during meetings to stress-test an idea. This reinforces debating the idea, not the person, and leads to better decisions.

   
   

2. Debate then Commit – Require executives to voice opposition behind closed doors. Once a decision is made, everyone must get behind it, regardless of their initial stance. This reinforces "organization first."

   
   

3. Present a Unified Front – End every debate by defining the specific messaging to share with staff, ensuring the C-suite presents a unified front.

Bottom Line

C-suite trust, the necessary ingredient to both strategic and operational success, can be built and reinforced with a handful of simple approaches practiced consistently over time.