2/2014 http://www.business-spotlight.de 79benevolent [bE(nevElEnt]wohlwollend
disagreeable unangenehm, un-
[)dIsE(gri:Eb&l] sympathisch
draw on sth. sich auf etw. stüt-
[(drO: Qn] zen
fragile zerbrechlich, an-
[(frÄdZaI&l] fällig
metric [(metrIk] Messgröße; hier:
Kriterium
mission [(mIS&n] Mission, Leitziel(e)
neglect sth. [nI(glekt] etw. vernachlässi-
gen; hier: zu wenig
beachten
predictability Berechenbarkeit
[pri)dIktE(bIlEti]
put a matter right eine Angelegenheit
[)pUt E )mÄtE (raIt] regeln
selfish [(selfIS] eigennützig
take the rap die Schuld auf sich
[)teIk DE (rÄp] ifml. nehmen
visible: be ~ hier: in Erschei-
[(vIzEb&l] nung tretenThird is integrity. This is what peo-
ple most want in their boss. Psychol-
ogists regard it as a sign of a devel-
oped superego — seeing oneself as
part of a greater whole, with a re-
sponsibility towards society.
Fourth is predictability. Anyone
who has worked for a neurotic knows
how worrying it is never to know
what state they will be in. We need tobe reasonably certain about how
bosses will think, feel and behave.
Trust should be built up in good
times so that it can be drawn onin
times of crisis. During bad times, bad
bosses hide; good ones are twice as
visible. Bad bosses worry about them-
selves; good ones worry about their
staff and customers. Bad bosses make
excuses; good ones take the rap.This last point is very important.
We trust bosses most when they ad-
mit their mistakes. It is the same as
when an airline loses your bags or a
restaurant serves you bad food — if
they put matters rightgenerously and
quickly, we are more positive about
them than if there had been no prob-
lem. So bosses should learn to admit
mistakes — but not repeat them.Trust is a two-way street.Like any
psychological contract — an unwrit-
ten agreement between people about
how they behave towards each other
— a relationship of trust is fragile. It
is also important and powerful. It
may even be a good reason to invest,
or not to invest, in a company. After
looking at all the financial figures, in-
vestors should consider how employ-
ees feel about their company’s leaders
and its mission. This is one of the
most relevant, yet neglected, metrics
in the whole investment game.We are going througha period of
extreme doubt about leadership.
Corrupt bankers and arrogant politi-
cians have caused the public to lose
trust in people in high places.
Whom, if anyone, do we trust in
the workplace? And what are the
consequences of mistrust? Veronica
Hope Hailey, head of the University
of Bath’s School of Management, has
identified four factors that make
bosses trustworthy.
First, are they trained for the job —
and able to perform? This is
fundamental: you can’t trust
an incompetent person to de-
liver the goods. Next, Hope
Hailey uses the word “benev-
olent”. It is the opposite of
selfishand disagreeable. People notice
small acts of kindness. Bosses who
praise, give wise advice and help oth-
ers are thought of as benevolent.Adrian Furnhamis a psychology professor at Uni-
versity College, London. His latest book is The
Engaging Manager: The Joy of Management and
Being Managed(Palgrave Macmillan).Kann man einem Vorgesetzten, der wegen eines Fehlverhaltens in die Schlagzeilen gerät, noch
vertrauen? Und wie müssen Führungskräfte sein, damit ihnen die Mitarbeiter vertrauen?
Unser Management-Experte ADRIANFURNHAMbefasst sich mit diesen Fragen.■BS
mediumIn their hands: bosses have the
means to create trust“We trust bosses most when they admit their
mistakes. But they shouldn’t repeat them”EXECUTIVE EYE MANAGEMENTThe importance of trust
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