‘The people when rightly and fully trusted will return the trust’ – Abraham Lincoln

Everything in business is based on relationships and all relationships are based on trust. Most managers demand their staff trust them, even there is no evidence it is founded, or even there is proof that they can’t be. Authority and trust are not always happy bedfellows.

These same ‘leaders’ then micro-manage because of the obsession people will only perform when they are being watched.

If one thing has been demonstrated during lockdown, it is those working from home were, generally, at least as productive as when they are at the workplace. There are a number of pieces of research, but it seems there is an average of 13% increase in personal productivity for these people:

• No commute
• Fewer distractions (we know many kids have been home schooling)
• Fewer meetings and phone calls
• ‘Zoom’ meetings are crisper
• Comfortable surroundings
• Choice of background music

And yet, managers are keen to get them back to the office.

There are very good reasons to get the team together. Steve Jobs didn’t want people to work from home generally because more ideas emerge when people spark off one another. Some staff unfortunately become lonely, passing beyond a sense of isolation. Extreme extroverts struggle without human interaction, without the constant connectivity.

But consider this; all teamwork is predicated on a high level of trust, not just confidence but vulnerability trust. As we Reboot the team, re-establishing trust is critical.