The G-Force Dilemma
Imagine you’re driving down a winding canyon road. You approach a sharp turn, look ahead, and commit to it. You know the car can handle it, but the second you hit the turn, everyone in the passenger seats feels the G-force.
The same thing happens in business. People have a powerful radar for unspoken tension. New people start making unexpected appearances or a manager starts hesitating a second longer about a decision and the team feels the g-force.
This tension usually makes people think about the worst case scenario. I’ve seen teams become completely frozen from simply piecing moments together into a story that usually has some truth behind it.
“Radical Transparency” is not the solve
Well-meaning leaders think the solution is to pull back every curtain and tell the team every detail of what is going on. This is just as dangerous.
Imagine you are driver narrating every detail that goes through your mind as you drive through a storm. The passengers would feel a lack of trust immediately. If the team is constantly bombarded with internal politics, teammate’s hidden performance issues, or any micro detail their hand also shakes.
The best drivers are the ones that communicate exactly what is needed and generate seamless trust.
Trust Isn’t Given with the Keys
Managing the panic in the cabin is a massive responsibility and building the trust with the team requieres more than getting the keys.
We’ve all been burned by bad drivers. Because of that, your team isn’t automatically going to trust your judgment when you take a corner that feels risky to them.
Driving without g force
I think of trust as a collective agreement.
When you do the right thing consistently, look out for your people, and hit your marks day in and day out, people notice and the trust starts to talk in the hallways.
That organic reputation creates a track record that actually precedes you – “build fame and you can fall asleep” is what people say back in my home town to describe this.
But that collective agreement is fragile. If you fake it, cut corners on your integrity, act selectively with different people or projects, or simply start taking sharp turns out of nowhere the word spreads just as fast, and trust vanishes overnight.
If trust earned in the corners, are you passing the whiplash down to your passenger seat?
