Restoring Trust - Emerging Nurse Leader

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

Nurse leaders are struggling with a loss of staff trust. It is not surprising that many nurses are angry at their leaders, and union activity is rising. Throughout the pandemic, there has been a global societal backdrop of mistrust with a loss of faith in government, organizations, and leaders.

We sometimes forget that trust is not static. It is a choice that we make to invest in relationships because we believe that others will have our best interests at heart and strive to achieve fair outcomes. In his book The Speed Of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey points out that trust is the currency of leadership. When trust is high, things can happen quickly, often at a much lower cost. When trust is low, things happen slowly and cost more.

Emerging from the pandemic, employee trust needs to be restored even in good organizations with a history of strong supportive employee cultures. The complexity of the COVID experience caused policy missteps and communication failures that eroded staff confidence in their leaders. It is almost inevitable in a time of continuous change and so many unknowns. Nurses wanted certainty and a level of control that leaders were not always able to provide.

So, where do we go from here?

Trust can be rebuilt but not overnight. Trust builds over time and happens when the staff sees consistent behavior, reinforcing that the leader can be trusted. Some behaviors can help build trust more quickly. These include the following:

Keep your commitments – is the most significant behavior you can demonstrate. It’s the quickest way to build trust in any relationship. The quickest way to destroy trust is to break commitments or violate promises, so moving forward it will be critical not to do this.
Extend trust and empower others – by empowering others, you can leverage your own leadership. Develop a bias, a desire, an inclination to trust people. Assume good intentions. You then create a high-trust culture that brings out the best in nurses and maximizes the team’s capability.
Demonstrate integrity – when you are honest, authentic, and courageous in your own actions, you will inspire trust in others. Acknowledge when your behavior has contributed to a problem. Be vulnerable about the challenges in decision-making during the pandemic.
Show a commitment to your work – commitment towards a clear purpose is the primary driver of leadership trust. Nurse leaders who believe in their organization’s mission, vision, and values and show commitment to their work are more trusted by staff. Clearly communicate what you believe is important in the future.
Walk your talk – nurses pay much closer attention to what their leaders do versus what they say. Your words and behaviors need to be congruent to be trusted.
Be ethical – character and commitment to a deeply held set of values instill trust. When nurse leaders cross ethical boundaries, trust is violated. Check your facts, don’t gossip, and don’t blame others for things that have happened. Accept accountability for mistakes.
Strive to be highly competent – to earn trust; a nurse leader must have some core competence in his/her areas of responsibility. Show up on time to meetings, be prepared, and ready to work.
Care about your staff – nurses want to know that their leaders care about them as people. Be quick to thank others for their work. No one likes to feel like they are not valued. Treat your staff like your moral peers.
Be other-focused – not self-focused – words have power in leadership. Staff pay attention to the language that leaders use. Leaders who are self-focused care most about themselves and strive hard to create a better future for themselves versus their staff. Don’t make things about you.
Ask for feedback – leaders who ask for feedback demonstrate vulnerability and acknowledge that they are on a journey.

Covey notes that nothing engages people like being trusted in his book on trust and nothing disengages people like not being trusted. Don’t get discouraged. To rebuild relationships and retain staff moving forward, trust them and work to have them trust you.

Read to Lead

Covey, M.R. (2008). The speed of trust: The one thing that changes everything. Free Press.

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