Ask any relationship coach if trust is essential to building a relationship and they will tell you trust is the most essential factor. It is the cornerstone needed to create an environment of productivity and growth.

If you are beginning a new role or the management at your office changes, it is vital to put your best foot forward to build trust with your manager. This isn’t a complex and laborious endeavor. It is quite simple and starts with you just being the best you can be, day in and day out and it starts with being a trustworthy, contributing team member and working on your communication skills.

To be trustworthy, you have to be reliable and take responsibility for your work. The tips below are areas that I find are simple and consistent ways to prove your trustworthiness, they may take time to build but it isn’t a wasted effort, the most trustworthy of people are the ones who get the big projects, clients, and promotions. 

1. A trustworthy employee shows up on time, consistently. I also personally recommend that a very reliable employee shows up 10-15 minutes early. This way you can be settled in and ready to start by the time everyone else is just showing up. There are many more things that you will find beneficial about showing up 10-15 min early consistently, however, I will leave that for another post.
2. A trustworthy employee also does what they say they are going to do. If you tell your manager that you will give them a report at 7:45 pm, make sure they have it at 7:45 pm. Don’t make them wait around to wonder if you will be there. They should understand that when you say something will happen, they can rely on it happening 100% without a doubt.  This takes time to build so be patient and be careful what you promise because if you say it will happen, you have to work on delivering it.
3. A trustworthy employee is always prepared. Showing up early will help but there are other simple things you can do to be more prepared. You can read emails very carefully before responding. In meetings you can brief yourself by creating or reading the meeting agenda, taking notes, and reviewing what you will say beforehand so that nothing is missed.
4. A trustworthy employee is also organized. Keeping your workspace neat and organized is a great place to start. This way all of your materials and files are ready just when you need them and you waste less of your and your manager’s time looking for them.

Being a trustworthy employee is a great way to be a contributing team member, however, you can show up on time every day and not build trustworthiness if everyone else in the office finds you difficult to work with.

In any office or team setting it is important to be a contributing team member. This is essential to gaining the trust of your manager and building a positive work environment where you like to work. 

1. Support your colleagues and manager whenever possible. There are many ways that you can support your manager and your team. You can volunteer to present or take on new projects, you can offer ideas or support others’ ideas by seeing how you can make them work.
2. You can also support the team by fostering and building a positive and supportive work atmosphere. You will do this by offering words of encouragement, and avoiding complaining and negative office politics. This leads me to office gossip, which is the same however it deserves a point of its own.
3. Office Gossip – Do not engage in or start office gossip. If you are subjected to it, put an end to it and dismiss yourself. I have a video on how to do that here.

The last facet of building trust with your manager is building your communication. Effective communication is how you will get your thoughts across and understand what is happening and/or required of you. There are many elements of developing your communication that you will find helpful and I have many videos on my Instagram dedicated to empowering people to communicate better in their lives.

1. Use active listening tools to make sure you understand what is expected of you. This included having positive and engaging body language such as nodding your head, leaning in, and making eye contact. It also includes acknowledging what you have heard and asking questions. Being a good listener will save everyone time and communicating with someone who is listening is preferable for all managers.
2. Master the tone of your conversations. Use positive language with a calm and understanding yet straightforward tone. The best way to learn what your tone is is to listen to yourself or ask a trusted friend or coworker. This way you will understand how you come across and you will be able to modify it to get the results you desire.

By adapting your routine at work to include preparation, positivity, and effective communication you will brand yourself as a trustworthy, well-natured employee who works together with the team and management to drive results and success in the office and this is where you start to building rapport with your management team.

This topic is near and dear to me, as I have worked with many clients to empower them in this area of personal branding. If you are interested in working to create an elegance evolution plan to develop your communication, poise, and presence in your career please feel free to email me, I look forward to hearing from you.

Stay Elegant,