Restorative Trust
Full disclosure: I was on vacation last week. It was glorious. It was snowy (I’m a skier), cold, ripe with hot tubs, wine, family, and food. And best of all – no work.
For those of you craving a vacation and not able to take one yet, I’m not trying to rub this in, really. But what dawned on me last week during my naps and hot cocoa breaks in front of the fireplace is that my vacation would have been a much less enjoyable experience without trust.
In today’s environment, bringing work home with you is par for the course. We can access the Internet (and all of the baggage that comes with that access) on smart phones, tablets and computers, and every place from McDonalds to your neighborhood Best Buy offers free wifi networks. It’s hard to escape the daily grind.
For many people, myself included, this is why time off is so critical. In fact, mental breaks are becoming so important that some companies are beginning to offer unlimited vacation. Changing your routine, altering your surroundings, experiencing new and different things all contribute to a refreshed, energized, and more creative you. But, without trust, that all becomes a much more limited possibility.
It often seems like the beginning of each year gets faster and more chaotic than the one before. Beyond the temptation to check my email no matter when or where I might be is the mere fact that my to-do list is constantly growing. There is just that much to do. This kind of schedule makes it even harder to step away from work, and yet, stepping away is the best thing you can do when things get that hectic.
In order to really bask in your time off and enjoy it, you have to trust that work is going to continue without you – and that people can and will live without your expertise during that time. That is much easier said than done. We must learn how to heavily rely on our colleagues and peers to help ensure that projects progress when we’re not in the office, and this reliance stems from a place of deep trust. Do you trust that your team members can carry the torch when you’re not there? Do you have faith in their ability to respond to your emails and address concerns on your behalf? It may seem like a small thing to be away from the office for a few days, but you are looking to others to represent your ability and knowledge – and that can be a very scary leap to make without trust.
Not surprisingly, in my readings and research in the organizational development and leadership space, I’ve noticed that the word “trust” has infiltrated the marketplace with a vengeance in the last few years. What was once a far-off, rarely discussed topic has become a flagship term for organizations looking for more effective ways to engage their employees and leverage in-house talent. Some organizations like Interaction Associates have built entire disciplines around a more comprehensive understanding of trust in the workplace, and the critical influence it has on business success.
This week, I’m back to the daily grind, but I know my vacation did everything it was supposed to do: I feel recharged, energized, and ready to start tackling my growing to-do list again. This is no small part because of my colleagues (you are awesome!), who selflessly worked to make sure all of my projects and plans continued to move forward as I skied down mountains without a care in the world. Who knew five little letters could amount to so much?