Do Employees Trust You? 11 Entrepreneurs Reveal How to Build Credibility as a Leader

7. Lead by example.

“If you want to increase credibility with your team you must be [lead] by example. This will inspire your team to go above and beyond for someone they respect and trust. Your actions and your words must be aligned and you must be modeling a business and life that is balanced and free. Involve your team in your decisions, ask them for their opinions, and lastly always support them and let them know you are there to support them every single day.”

– Michelle Hastie, Founder and President of Total Body Health Solutions: @michellehastie

8. Do what you expect your staff to do.

“I served in the British Royal Navy Submarine Service and throughout my military career; my ethos was to be able to understand, communicate with, manage, and lead anyone who worked for me.  To that end, this nowadays includes driving the van, unloading the stock, and addressing the deliveries as well as marketing, accounting, presenting, advertising, and ultimately selling my brand.  What is lovely is that I do all this and more, and my staff truly believes that my wife and I would not shirk any of the menial tasks in running a retail business.”

– Andrew Mills, Founder and Owner of NEPHRIA Jade Beauty Products: @Nephria

9. Foster an environment allowing transparency

“… Fostering an environment that allows for transparency and authenticity has allowed for mutual trust between myself and my employees. As a business owner and an employer, I take responsibility for my actions and I admit where I struggle. I find that this is refreshing to my team and only allows us to grow closer and work more effectively together.”

– Dawn Wellington Psaromatis, Founder and President of Wellington Group: @wellingtonrp

10. Don’t pass the buck or point the finger.

” … When undesirable outcomes happen, we’re all naturally quick to point the finger. If your team or staff see that you’re willing to take the blame for the good of the team, even if it’s not directly your fault, then they will start to let go and trust you. As an entrepreneur and, more importantly, as a leader, you need to accept the responsibility for both the good and the bad.”

– Patrick McFadden, President of Indispensable Marketing: @mcfaddenteaches

11. Democratize business decisions.

“We believe in democracy which gives each of our employees a vote on major decisions within the business. This gives everyone a sense of ownership and opens up discussion for new ideas. The best ideas don’t always come from the top down.

– Zack Rosenberg, Founder of DoGoodBuyUs: @DoGoodBuyUs

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Photo: Gant