I so often talk about respect and trust in my writing and my discussions with the nonprofit community. I’m always interested in how nonprofit leaders think about this core cultural value.
In preparing our Applied Wisdom training course my team asked some nonprofit leaders to share their perspectives — I think you will be inspired by what they said.
Ahmad Thomas, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) says that building trust among your staff and other stakeholders is a top priority. Here are some of the ways SVLG approaches trust-building:
- Trust boils down to treating people well – as I would like to be treated.
- Integrity and authenticity are foundational to trust.
- Always speak to people in a manner that’s respectful — and send respectful emails.
- We want to center ourselves in a human way and then show up in a way that the team feels they can bring their authentic selves to work — and that they will be celebrated for doing so.
- Once your team has a true sense of respect for one another, it is a foundation you can build upon. Gabriela Chavez Lopez, CEO of Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley, believes that trust is built over time through working together, which is the best way to explore each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and to find moments for collaboration.
Gabriela says that trust is built year-round — it can’t just be called into action at a moment’s notice. Trust must be developed intentionally over time.
As it has grown, putting in the time, the energy, and the resources to build deep, trusted partnerships, has been very important to the Latina Coalition.
These leaders are explicit in their acknowledgement of the importance of building trust and respect among all of your constituents. What role has trust played in your career and in the success of your organization?
Here’s a short video with Ahmad Thomas, and another with Gabriela Chavez Lopez.