Building Trust (Without the Trust Falls)
Mission Capital has six powerful core values that serve as the foundation of our mission and vision. These values guide how we work within our organization and in the communities we serve.
Collaboration: We believe in the power of working together.
Service Excellence: We go above and beyond to exceed expectations.
Trust: We respectfully and ethically interact with each other and those we serve.
Learning: We pursue and promote leadership and growth.
Innovation: We relentlessly pursue creative solutions to improve our work and our community.
Connectedness: We create opportunities to work and play together in meaningful ways.
As an organization, we constantly work to incorporate our core values in our daily interactions, our program and service delivery and measurement, our hiring process, our employee development, and our rewards and recognition practices.In this segment of our Value of Core Values series, I'll share some thoughts on Mission Capital’s core value of trust.
Defining Organizational Trust
Trust is a potentially fuzzy concept that doesn't have one definitive meaning. It's not always easy to define because it often relies on a person's personal level of comfort, their confidence in the other person, and their own perceptions or value systems. Whether in a personal, working, or client relationship, trust is a valued principle essential to a healthy and productive partnership and organization. It takes time and willingness to learn how you can build and, unfortunately, break an individual's trust, understanding that everyone has their own understanding of the value, shaped by their unique life experiences and personality traits.
At Mission Capital, we define this core value as, “Respectfully and ethically interacting with each other and those we serve.” Further, within our organization’s core values charter, we expand on this definition with the following tenants:
We strive to serve as a trusted resource in our community, approaching all situations with integrity and transparency.
We give each other the benefit of the doubt, support each other when we stumble and are accountable for our actions.
We respect the confidential nature of our client work and actively protect client, donor and constituent information to the highest ethical standards.
In my own interactions with our team and the organizations we serve, I strive to build trust through open communication, exceeding expectations and actively listening to the community and their needs.
Building Trust
Within the Mission Capital team, we recognize how important it is to foster an environment that values trust, both internally and externally. We've all heard of the "Golden Rule" and the idea that you treat others as you would like to be treated. However, the idea of trust is highly nuanced and complex, especially in a workplace. We sometimes must learn what it truly takes to treat others as they would like to be treated. Every employee has a different working style, and various ways they prefer to be recognized and appreciated, or conversely, counseled. By understanding what motivates individuals and organizations, and demonstrating genuine concern and empathy, we can create a sense of assurance and confidence in the workplace.
Reflecting on “Trust” in Your Workplace
Recently, we adopted trust as our core value of the month to continue practicing this ideal, further exploring how we can strengthen trust among our Mission Capital family. Through group discussion, interactive trust activities (no trust falls!) and an engaging facilitated staff retreat, we got at the heart of what trust means to our team and how we can continue to build trust within our organization.
If you're interested in building trust within your own organization, we can help! We value our workplace culture and we want you to value yours, too. Through our consulting services and Learning & Leadership offerings, our consultants can help you gain the clarity and confidence necessary to build a strong, healthy, trust-based culture.