When leaders and their organizations struggle, or fail, the causes usually have little to do with intelligence or hard work. These are usually in ample supply. While there are a number of factors that cause problems, one of the most common, although often not recognized, is a breakdown in trust caused by a poor process of communication.

Use these six values to develop a process of communication that promotes trust, builds strong relationships, and achieves business (as well as personal) success.

1. Hold Honorable Intentions: Genuinely care about the well being and success of others. The adage that people don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care aptly applies to all important relationships. If people don’t trust the intentions of another person they often react out of fear, defaulting to such defense mechanisms as tuning out, blaming, personal attacks, and even sabotage. However, when people have confidence that another person genuinely cares about their well being and success, that the other person’s intentions are honorable, they feel safer and more able to openly discuss concerns, hear different points of view, and resolve even the most difficult issues.
2. Respect the Dignity and Worth of Everyone: OK, I can hear the objection, “But what about someone who’s being unreasonably difficult? Why should I respect him?” My response: Recognize that the other person is probably acting out of some kind of fear. Is there any one of us who hasn’t reacted inappropriately at times when emotions take over? While we need to take responsibility and avoid such behavior, don’t we want others to see the best in us when we may not be our best selves?
   See the best in others, even while you address concerns about their behavior. This is known as the Pygmalion effect and helps others recognize the best in themselves and reach for their human potential. It usually works. Regardless, do this because of the type of person you want to be in reaching for your human potential. Start by respecting the dignity and worth of all people.
   
3. Exhibit Honesty and Integrity: Be known for doing and saying the right things based on inspiring and trustworthy personal and organizational values. At a minimum, these should include: a) holding honorable intentions b) respecting the dignity of all people c) encouraging people to be honest about concerns and problems (conflict competency should be a business imperative for all leaders to facilitate the most informed, effective, and supported decisions) d) honoring commitments, and e) being honest about important issues in a clear, timely, and respectful manner.
4. Inform and Involve People in What Most Affects Them: Lack of predictability and feeling excluded creates stress, perceptions of disrespect, and mistrust. Be transparent on all but the most confidential of issues. Secrecy is an insidious and overused behavior that results in toxic rumors which are usually worse than reality. Being informed and involved empowers people and builds trust by valuing them, creating collaboration, and providing a sense that change is happening to a reasonable extent with them as participants rather than to them in an arbitrary, capricious, and inherently unfair manner.
5. Develop Competence: To achieve trust, people need to know that we’re competent, that we’re able and willing to do what’s expected. As business owners or leaders, this value also reveals one of our most important responsibilities; to help others develop their abilities so that they can be successful in their jobs and careers. Helping others develop their competence demonstrates concern for their well being, aligns personal and business goals, and builds trust. Everyone wins.
6. Promote Accountability: A critical component of achieving individual, team, and organization-wide accountability is developing clear, inclusive, and motivating methods of delegation, which most businesses and leaders think they do well, but often don’t.  This is a reason why accountability and execution are so often lacking in businesses, and a leading cause of mediocrity and outright failure.

In today’s knowledge-based, global economy, effective leaders recognize that the people who report to them have experience, insights, and competence that the business requires and which leaders often don’t possess.  Moreover, they realize that people must be relied on to use their knowledge and discretionary initiative in a myriad of unpredictable and important situations for the best interests of the organization, which include customers, other employees, shareholders, and our communities.  Effectively recognizing such contributions in timely ways is another essential component of valuing and promoting accountability.

In summary, an effective process of communication builds trust to achieve an empowering type of performance where people do what is expected and right, not just because they’re told to, but because they feel respected, valued, competent, and meaningfully recognized for their important contributions to business success.