By Ronald Williamson, EdD, and Barbara R. Blackburn, PhD
Every time Ron taught a course about the principalship, he started the semester by asking students to describe a good school leader, the sort of person teachers and others would want to lead their school. Every semester the same response topped the list. They wanted a leader they could trust.
Students were then asked to describe “trust” and what behaviors a leader who is “trustworthy” displays. Again and again, year after year, the same characteristics were identified. They wanted a leader who made them feel safe and valued. Someone who challenged them but at the same time supported their creativity and advocated for the resources to support their success. They wanted a leader who was loyal to their school and the staff, and whose priority was students and staff. They wanted a leader who respected them as professionals, valued their insights, and was committed to a collaborative work setting.
Importance of Trustworthy Leadership
- physical and emotional safety
- loyalty to employees and the organization
- commitment to collaboration
Why Trust is Important
A high level of trust is “highly correlated with how people rate a leader’s overall leadership effectiveness” (Zenger & Folkman, 2019, p. 3). Researchers identified three elements of trust that contribute to a leader being seen as “trustworthy.”
Positive Relationships – The first element is a measure of “the extent to which a leader is able to create positive relationships with people and groups.” For school leaders that may include getting to know individual teachers and other employees, working to resolve conflict and generate cooperation, and expressing concern for others.
Good Judgment and Expertise – A second component of trust is “the extent to which a leader is well-informed and knowledgeable.” This includes an understanding of the technical side of the work as well as experience. In schools, that might include a measure of the leader’s understanding of curriculum and instruction, of school-community relations, and student discipline and management.
Consistency – The third element of trust is “the extent to which leaders walk their talk and do what they say they will do.” In other words, leaders must honor commitments and model behaviors they expect from others.
The Importance of Trust
Why are these traits important? When trust is present people are generally more productive, more satisfied with their jobs, put in greater discretionary effort, and are less likely to search for new jobs (Zak, 2019).
When leaders display these attributes, their employees are more likely to describe them as trustworthy. Of the three, it was found that building and sustaining positive relationships mattered the most to promote trust. In part, employees need to feel valued by their leaders.
The next section describes 10 behaviors that build and sustain trust, including nurturing and sustaining positive relationships.
Similarly, when trust is present in a school, employees see it as a desirable place to work, and parents see it as a desirable place to educate their children. It’s a place where employees are more likely to remain even during times of stress, and it’s the sort of setting where people are more committed to working collaboratively on behalf of students and their learning.
10 Behaviors to Build and Sustain Trust
Trust is recognized as an essential attribute of successful leaders but it’s also a rather amorphous term that always takes on the context of the employee and the employer. Fortunately, there is a set of leadership behaviors that, when present, build, nurture and sustain trust (Miller, 2022).
What a leader does, what they say, and how they spend their time sends signals about what is important. Leaders must model trust if they want to be seen as trustworthy.
Here are 10 behaviors that leaders can adopt to build, nurture, and sustain trust. Adopting each of these behaviors models leadership that others will emulate and use in their own work.
1. Follow Through on Commitments
One thing employees value is predictability, and one of the best ways to demonstrate predictability is to always keep your word and follow through on things you commit to do. Always commit to things that you know you can do, and if you can’t, explain why. Teachers and other employees value the security of predictability, and to sustain trust, a leader must always deliver on promises and commitments. Avoid using consistency as a substitute for predictability. There are times when consistency is inappropriate, and a new approach is needed. When that occurs, be open about your rationale, but be “predictable” about how you follow through on issues.
2. Admit Mistakes and Correct Them Quickly
A companion to predictability is admitting when things don’t work. Every leader understands that not everything works as planned. Openly acknowledging when that occurs or when you made an inappropriate decision, and working to amend your decision, is essential to building and sustaining trust. Owning one’s mistakes acknowledges accountability by the leader. It also acknowledges that failure is part of life and minimizes any sense among employees that they must always be perfect. You want your teachers and other employees to also acknowledge when things don’t work and to be creative in developing another strategy.
3. Build Positive Relationships
An essential component of trust is the presence of positive relationships between the leader and others. In fact, as mentioned earlier, there’s evidence that it may be the most important component. A leader must always stay in touch with others and demonstrate a concern for others. They must work to create a climate of cooperation among employees, work to minimize conflict with others, and always provide feedback in a helpful way. Always recognize how your words, actions, and behavior affect others. Identify any emotional triggers you hold and develop a process for working through them. Be open to receiving feedback and ask clarifying questions to fully understand that feedback. And always practice good listening skills, skills that demonstrate authentic listening.
4. Avoid Being Judgmental
Nothing suppresses motivation faster than judgmental behavior from the leader. It makes employees feel insecure and they are less likely to be creative and innovative. Recognize how both your verbal and non-verbal behavior can signal judgment, and be intentional in how you respond to a question, a problem, or feedback you receive. Always be open to talking with employees. Ask questions for clarification and deeper understanding.
5. Show Gratitude
Always express gratitude for the work people do. Remind people how important their work is to your school’s mission and vision. Assure that everyone is acknowledged, not just the most successful or the most innovative. Be genuinely appreciative of individuals’ work by offering specific comments that let them know you are aware of what they do and how they contribute to your school’s success. Minimize general comments that apply to everyone so each individual feels your gratitude and appreciation.
6. Demonstrate Vulnerability
Vulnerability can be uncomfortable, particularly when it involves risk or emotional exposure. But demonstrating vulnerability is also important to building trust. School leaders must be willing to engage in tough conversations to solve difficult and challenging problems, acknowledging when it’s time for a new or different perspective and modeling how to move on from a setback or failure (Brown, 2018). Leaders must be willing to gather feedback about their leadership, share the results, and discuss ways to strengthen and improve their work. As with the other behaviors, modeling vulnerability communicates to your employees that it’s also important for them to adopt this skill.
7. Maintain Confidentiality
One of the fastest ways to lose trust is to share confidential, sensitive, or personal information shared with you in the workplace. If confidentiality is not maintained, it undermines employee morale and leads people to not be open and candid when you need them to be. This behavior is one of the keys to assuring emotional safety for your teachers and other employees.
8. Hold Clear Expectations
Also linked to predictability is the importance of having clear expectations for your employees and others in your school community. Employees want to know what is expected of them, and they want their leader to monitor what is done. Talk with employees about expectations, assure reasonable timelines for their work, and always be open to modifying them as needed. Some of the most successful school leaders work collaboratively with teachers and others to set those expectations. That assures they are reasonable and attainable.
9. Manage Change
Every school deals with change. Often it occurs in subtle ways over the school year, but occasionally it is more dramatic and impactful. Successful leaders help their school community deal with change. That includes providing the information and resources to support the change, gathering appropriate input into decisions that must be made, and monitoring and adjusting the plans as needed. Most people don’t resist change just to resist. Rather they desire information about what is changing including a compelling rationale for the change, an opportunity for professional development to support the change, and the resources to assure success in implementing the change.
10. Act with Confidence
Successful school leaders hold a clear vision for their school and act in ways that demonstrate their belief in the vision and its impact on their school community. Leaders must be willing to expand their knowledge, including talking with people who may not agree or support their vision. They must always express confidence in their beliefs but also recognize areas where they must continue to grow as a leader. Confident leaders understand that they may not have strengths in all areas, and they develop a cadre of people they can work with to complement their strengths.
Final Thoughts
Building and sustaining trust is not easy. It requires hard work, and at times it may feel overwhelming and uncomfortable. But the absence of trust almost always undermines a leader’s success.
A collaborative school community is a natural extension of a school where trust is present. Collaboration improves decisions, empowers teachers and other employees, and allows all stakeholders to develop ownership for continuous improvement. In the next article, we’ll look at collaboration to build ownership and provide tools and strategies for nurturing a collaborative school.
Dr. Ronald Williamson is Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership at Eastern Michigan University. He is a former principal, central office administrator and Executive Director of National Middle School Association (now AMLE).
Dr. Barbara R. Blackburn, a Top 10 Global Guru, is a best-selling author of more than 30 books, including the bestseller Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word, Rigor for Students with Special Needs, Rigor in Your School; 7 Strategies for Improving Your School, and Improving Teacher Morale and Motivation. Learn more.
References
Brown, B (2018). Dare to lead: Brave work, tough conversations, whole hearts. Random House.
Miller, H. (2022). 10 Ways of Building trust as a Leader. Leaders.com. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://leaders.com/articles/company-culture/building-trust/.
Williamson, R. & Blackburn, B. (2016). The principalship from A to Z (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Williamson, R. & Blackburn, B. (2019). Seven strategies for improving your school. Routledge.
Williamson, R. & Blackburn, B. (2024). Improving teacher morale and motivation: Leadership strategies that build student success. Routledge.
Zak, P. (2019). How our brains decide when to trust. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2019/07/how-our-brains-decide-when-to-trust.
Zenger, J. & Folkman, J (2019). The 3 Elements of Trust. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2019/02/the-3-elements-of-trust.
TEPSA Leader, Fall 2024, Vol 37, No 4
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