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Among many successful leaders, the following behaviors relate to their
interest in communicating with and influencing others:

• Actively solicits inputs from others to clarify issues and potential

actions before acting;
• Takes action to help insure that key strategies, goals, and plans are
understood by all team members;
• Provides important information quickly and accurately to internal

and external customers;
• Acknowledges and addresses problems and issues in an honest, up-
front, non-judgmental manner;
• Understands and responds appropriately to the underlying (often
unexpressed) motivations, values, and concerns of others.
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Good communication is certainly one of the best ways to develop trust. If
people feel that you are listening to them and that you understand and care
about what they are saying, then they are more likely to trust you and open
themselves up to you. In reality, listening is more of an attitude than it is a
skill. If our efforts to become better listeners do not start with our attitudes

toward whomever we need to hear, we will simply become better
imposters and will not likely build a higher level of trust in our
relationships.

As trust develops in the organization, people are encouraged to be more

open in their communication and more willing to hear what others have to
say. On the other hand, if management plays a strong authoritarian role,
communication is inhibited and people tend to use it to advance their own
personal agendas. Also, when there is considerable competition within the
organization, communication is hindered. Generally, the quality of

interpersonal relationships significantly affects the quality of
communication.

The nature and effectiveness of all types of communication within an
organization is important to building trust in the leadership. Every day is
an opportunity to share news and relevant information among the

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David Kolzow 79