Leading With Trust Is the Foundation for Human Connection
“Above all, moral leadership is about how leaders touch hearts, not just minds. Only moral authority can build trust, inspire others, create meaning, and help people imagine a different and better future—enable them to contribute their fullest talent, realize their deepest humanity, and do the next right things.”
–Dov Seidman, Founder and Chairman, The HOW Institute for Society
Meaningful human connections are fundamentally about trust. Without trust we cannot be united in purpose and progress as a society. With trust we have cultures that are primed for connection and as a result, outsized impact.
The State of Human Connection at Work report has shown an increase in trust since the onset of the pandemic. We see this first in the results of individuals self-reporting how they have extended trust to others and how they believe they are trusted. In fact, nearly a third of people state an increase in trust since March 2020.
At The HOW Institute we aim to understand the practices that indicate something to be true. So, more importantly than the stated gain in trust, we see positive growth in empowerment behaviors, which indicate the extent to which trust is a lived practice. Leading with trust has resulted in thirty-seven percent saying they have felt less micromanaged, and over 80% say that they have had more freedom since March 2020 to get their work done in the conditions that make them most productive.
Even at work we cannot escape this simple truth: we are each other’s heartbeat. Every organization depends on a vital ecosystem of healthy human connections. These connections are fostered by moral leaders and result in greater productivity. They are vital.