Welcome to GTRA

Written by: Parham Eftekhari

At each GTRA Council Meeting, it has become tradition (and a privilege) for me to share some thoughts on a topic that is near and dear to my heart: Leadership.    As IT leaders, technologies, mandates, compliance and initiatives often consume our time leaving little room for thought or discussion on other topics.  While our job functions may require this, it is important to realize that effective leadership and management is critical to building a culture that will allow you to meet your organization's goals.  In short- the ROI on time spent focusing on leadership is well worth it.  

At the June 2010 GTRA Council Meeting, the topic of my talk was a cultural and personal characteristic which I believe is the foundation upon which any successful relationship or endeavor must be built:  Trust.   If you stop and take a look around you the importance of Trust is everywhere.  In relationships (romantic, friendly, or professional), societal interactions (why do drive through an intersection just because you see a green light?), and the workplace Trust has a tremendous impact on your decisions, actions and ultimately your quality of life.  

The IT community also sees how trust impacts the various initiatives currently underway to enhance our government's ability to serve the citizen.  In information sharing, user authentication and identification, access management, authoritative data and more, Trust plays a critical role. 

That said, we know all to well that people and cultures lacking in trust are hard to change.   It doesn't mean there is no hope and you should give up however, it just means that to build a foundation of trust, you need to start where you have full control: Yourself. 

Although there are a plethora of well research reports and definitions of Trust by sociologists and psychiatrists,  I am an emotionally driven person and came up with my own list of what it takes to build trust:

1. Be Likeable-  I cannot stress enough of this point in building trust.  Just look around at the people and experiences in your life... do you truly trust someone you can't stand?  Now I'm not talking about being best friends with everyone, but it does mean that you need to show that you care about others and have compassion.  When you ask someone "how's it going", stop and look them in the eye and wait for an answer.  Having people feel that you truly care about them, be it a friend or your door person, will revolutionize your life- I guarantee it. 

2.  Have Integrity-  It goes without saying that integrity is a huge element of trust.  If you do consistently say one thing and do another, or don't live up to your word, no one will trust you.  An important comment here is that showing integrity does not require you to never fail.  We are human, it is inevitable.  But as leaders, admitting your mistakes and even apologizing when necessary is a big testament to your dedication towards trust.  Far too often leaders are afraid to admit their mistakes.  To those in this category all I can say is that when you screw up- everyone knows it!  Admitting your faults does not show weakness, it shows leadership.

3.  Be a Good Listener- If people you are trying to build trust with don't feel that you are listening to them and their input/feedback, your decisions (whether or not they are right) may be come across ill informed.  Taking time to listen shows others you care, which as I mentioned before is critical in building trust. 

4- Talk about Trust with those around you-  Have you ever held a meeting with your staff to discuss trust?  How do you expect them to know that it is important to you if you have never told them?  Openly committing yourself to building trust,and setting expectations that you want others to do the same can be a good starting point to make a cultural shift in your organization.   Let people know you welcome feedback (both good and bad) and that no negative repercussions will come from this type of dialogue.

5-  Be Honest-  No one likes a  liar, and no one trusts a liar.  When people observe you acting honestly to them and others, trust is formed. 

I hope you take the tips above and apply them to your life.  The results can be amazing and will be fulfilling on a multitude of levels... and if I didn't motivate you perhaps this SONG from a late great will.