Over the last month I’ve been fortunate to talk to leaders from across the University. A number of themes have emerged, but today I’ll just focus on one. It is clear that we have to trust each other.
Breakdowns of trust don’t happen overnight and trust cannot just be willed into existence. We all need to work to trust each other for the good of NYU. We can’t be effective if we can’t rely on each other. We can’t rely on each other if we don’t trust each other. We are a team of teams. Let’s be a great one.
Here are a few recommendations for how we can learn to trust each other more.
Forget the past and give the benefit of the doubt. If there is one constant I’ve found at universities – it’s that we have long memories. It is best if we take the people we are dealing with at face value and assume good intent.
Don’t overpromise. When we say what we’ll do and do what we say, we can be relied on. That is the foundation of a great team.
Communicate effectively and often. When we don’t know what is going on, we sometimes assume the worst. When something is failing or we will fall short, let everyone know. People understand that we won’t always meet the mark, but we need to let them know.
Practice active listening. Misunderstandings destroy trust. There are lots of reasons why we can be misunderstood. If your listener doesn’t provide feedback, ask them for it.
Get to know one another. The more we know each other, the easier it is to trust each other.
As I learn more, the more excited I am about what we can accomplish together. You have already accomplished a lot. Let’s continue to leverage the great work you’ve done and let’s work on trusting each other more.