Communication, that is, the lack of authentic, honest and credible communication, is at the heart of why some companies lose the trust of their employees, customers, suppliers, and often, the general public.

Leaders can create trust-building communications by following these four tips:

* Tell people what you know and don’t know. Then tell them when you think you’ll know more, and get back to them with that information.
* Explain why you or the company took a particular action, especially when communicating unpleasant or unwelcome information. If you don’t do this, actions will be misinterpreted.
* Be consistent. Repeating key messages reinforces them. Make sure your actions also reinforce those messages. Mixed signals are perceived as lies.
* Don’t try to “spin” bad news to make it look positive. People know that you’re lying to them – and they won’t respect you for it. We handle the truth better than a lie or half-truth.

For further thoughts on building trust, you can read my complete article, “Why Trust Matters: it’s the glue that holds us together” from Leadership Excellence magazine, at:

http://trustmattersgroup.com/images/WhyTrustMattersLeadershipExcellence0807.pdf