From Slow Leadership, a great reminder: Trusting People More is the Simplest Way to Cut Your Workload and Reduce Stress.
Trust lowers stress and pressure
I’m constantly amazed when people claim to be overworked and under constant pressure, yet fail to do the one thing most likely to ease their burdens: trust other people more.
The author goes on to list some of the behaviors of those, us, that don't trust so well. We've all seen or done them: refusing to delegate, must attend every meeting, must have copies of every memo, must control every conversation, etc.
The impact is slower growth, less collaboration, more stress, more errors from the stress, more activity spent addressing trust issues than solutions issues, etc, etc.
And she provides the solution best in her own words:
Where does trust start? Right with you
Someone has to begin the cycle of trust by an act of faith. It’s no use waiting for the other person to make the first move. They’re waiting for you.
All it takes is a conscious act of unconditional belief in that other person’s good sense, ability, honesty or sense of commitment to set the ball rolling.
Will your trust sometimes be misplaced? Of course. Life isn’t perfect and some people aren’t trustworthy. But will increasing your willingness to trust produce, on balance, a positive benefit? Will it make your life more pleasant and less stressful? I believe so. You have little to lose by trying.
Trust has to start somewhere. Why not with you? Why not today? Why not right now?
WTH. We've all tried to some extent the 'not trusting' approach. And yeah, that trust will always be sometimes misplaced. And when it is, it's tough to reclaim it, resume it, repeat it. But consider the alternative and its impact on your life.
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