Amazon’s leadership principle #11 is Earn Trust [link].

In my experience, I have found that the Earn Trust leadership principle is one of the hardest principles to put into action. Not only is it hard to do, but it can also be hard to explain in a way that makes sense. In this post, we will try to break down what the principle means, why it is so important, and how you can use it in your relationships with others (both inside and outside of work).

Amazon is obsessed with winning the trust of its customers.

Amazon is obsessed with winning the trust of its customers. The company has a reputation for being customer-obsessed, and that’s something that CEO Jeff Bezos is very proud of.

When it comes to trust, however, Amazon is more than just talk — it’s also action. The e-commerce giant has been working to earn the trust of consumers by developing several innovative payment methods, including mobile payments and checkout-free shopping (also known as Amazon Go). If you’re an Amazon shopper and have ever wondered how secure your purchases are on the site, you should know that Amazon has invested heavily in protecting your information, even if it means foregoing profits in the process.

What does the Earn Trust leadership principle mean?

The Earn Trust leadership principle means to be consistent in everything you do, follow through on your promises and work hard to live up to the expectations you have set. By following this principle, you will be able to develop a strong relationship with your coworkers and clients that they can rely on at all times. You will also gain the trust of others if you show that you are reliable, honest, and trustworthy. It is important to note that trust is not something you can give yourself. Others must earn it from you. If there is anything that can hinder your progress at work, it is a lack of trust. However, if you can earn the trust of others, you will find it much easier to succeed with them as allies than if they were against you or reluctant to help.

How do you Earn Trust?

The most important element of trust is consistency. If your people are inconsistent, if they say one thing and do another, if they say they’re going to do something and don’t follow through, you have a problem.

The way to Earn Trust is to be consistent in all the actions that contribute to building trust. If you say you’ll do something, do it. If you say you’ll keep something confidential, keep it confidential. Don’t make promises you can’t keep or don’t follow through on what you started.

Trust means doing what you say you’re going to do. Consistency builds trust and trust builds leadership

As a leader, you want to earn your team’s trust. The best way to do this is by showing them they can depend on you. When they know that people can count on you to do what you said and thus depend on you, the team will start looking up to and following you. With their respect and support and with good communication, you will be able to lead your team on the way to success.

Things to remember to Earn Trust:

• Lead by example: you must first and foremost lead yourself and show behaviours of trust–only then can others rely on you.
• Follow through on your promises so next time people will remember and trust you.
• Find common ground, before acting on any information make sure that all the team members understand that as well.
• Learn by listening: similar to the above point, you need to reach their understanding level too.
• Take ownership, not only of your success but also of your failures.
• Acknowledge other people’s efforts, even if they are not getting the desired results to try to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts.

Earn Trust Interview Questions:

• Give an example of a time when you were not able to meet a commitment to a team member. What was the commitment and what prevented you from meeting it? What was the outcome and what did you learn from it?
• How do you like to receive feedback from coworkers or managers?
• How did you quickly earn your client’s trust?
• How do you convince someone resistant to what you’re trying to do?
• Tell me about a critical piece of feedback you received.
• Your team goals were misaligned with another team. How were you able to match this up?
• Building trust with teams can be difficult to achieve sometimes. Can you give me an example of how you effectively built trusting working relationships with others?

About the author: Andrea Della Corte

VP of Engineering, Program Manager, Coach, and Founder, specializing in career coaching, behavioural and system design prep. Book time with them here.