Building Trust in Leadership: How Forgiveness Plays a Key Role
In the dynamic world of leadership, several key elements are fundamental to building and maintaining a successful team and organization. One such element is forgiveness, which significantly influences trust and leadership effectiveness.
Understanding Forgiveness in Leadership
How an organization handles and learns from mistakes is critical to building a culture of trust. However, it's also important to recognize that repeated mistakes can erode trust, whether leaders or employees make them. Distinguishing between different types of mistakes is essential.
For instance, a mistake made due to incorrect assumptions about a business process or data, resulting in an erroneous report, is relatively common. Such scenarios, often involving multiple stakeholders, make it challenging to assign blame or punishment.
However, misconduct or inappropriate behaviour, especially from leaders – such as reacting poorly in a meeting about an erroneous report – is much more complex to forgive. Behaviour that does not align with the situation or fails to show respect to involved stakeholders can drastically undermine trust.
Building and Sustaining Trust
The saying "Trust is earned, not assumed" holds particularly true in leadership. Trust is strengthened over time as individuals deepen their understanding of each other through interactions, such as collaborating on reports or observing each other's behaviour. This kind of trust, known as knowledge-based trust, is akin to "gardening," as described by Lewicki and Bunker in 1996. The likelihood of forgiving and forgetting mistakes or incidents is higher in such a trust-rich environment.
“Trust is earned, not assumed.” unknown
Forgiveness in leadership is not just about overlooking errors but about understanding the context, learning from these moments, and moving forward positively. A crucial aspect of a forgiving leadership style is its impact on how an organization learns from mistakes. When leaders treat errors not as irreversible setbacks but as valuable learning opportunities, they foster an environment where innovation thrives.
What Do Innovative Organizations Do Differently?
No Fear of Mistakes: A culture of forgiveness ensures that the fear of reprisal for mistakes does not paralyze team members. Errors, especially those made in pursuing innovation, are viewed as part of the growth and learning process.
Encouraging Openness: When team members can speak up about challenges or concerns without fear of judgment, it leads to more effective problem-solving. Addressing and resolving errors quickly accelerates the learning process and minimizes their impact.
Shifting the Focus: Collectively acknowledging and analyzing mistakes leads to a deeper, shared understanding within the team. It shifts the focus from individual blame to collective learning.
Active listening is essential to effectively integrate forgiveness into leadership, showing team members their perspectives are valued. Encourage open communication and establish clear expectations around accountability. When mistakes occur, focus on the learning opportunity rather than the error itself. This approach builds trust and fosters a growth mindset within the team.
Reference: Lewicki, Roy J. & Bunker, Barbara Benedict (1994). Developing and Maintaining Trust in Work Relationships. Trust in Organizations: Frontiers of Theory and Research, Kramer, Roderick M.