Rebuilding Trust: Overcoming the Legacy of Toxic Bosses

No matter how great a leader you are, coming in behind a toxic boss who has eroded trust in an organization can be daunting.

You might try everything you know to do and everything that’s worked for you in past situations. Even so, unless you acknowledge that you’re starting at a deficit and go to work on "completing the past"—even if that past isn’t your fault—you’re in for a great deal of frustration and very little to show for your hard work. As unfair as it may be, people tend to judge us more based on their past experiences than they do based on our past behavior, and it’s no different for leaders.

I recently met with a group of leaders grappling with this very issue. Even though the toxic bosses are long gone, they left such a strong impression on the people in the organization that the new generation of well-meaning leaders is finding it hard to overcome. These were some of the sentiments I heard from them:

"We don't know what else to do!"

"What can we do to get people to trust us when they think all managers are like the last guy?"

"It shouldn't be like this. We’re not that guy! People should see that we’re doing everything we can and just trust us!"

I heard some version of these and many other statements, and the one thing they had in common was that they were all essentially blaming the people for not trusting their leaders.

I understand these emotional reactions all too well because I have been there myself many times, and it certainly is tough. However, from my experience, this line of thinking only exacerbates the problem further because it encourages half-hearted attempts to earn trust and then self-pity and resentment when those attempts inevitably fail. The fact is, no matter what, leaders’ first few attempts to win people over will not work. How they respond to those initial failures is ultimately what separates those who succeed from those who don’t.

If you’re leading an organization where there is mistrust due to past bosses' behavior, the mistrust may not be your fault, but addressing it and recovering from it is your responsibility. The sooner you accept this responsibility, the more effective you will be at rebuilding trust and earning people's commitment. Part of that responsibility is acknowledging that—as unfair as it may be—you’re starting out in a hole that you didn’t dig, and the first and hardest part of your job will be just going from a negative back to zero.

Whatever actions you take will be secondary to adopting this mindset, because out of this mindset will flow clear thinking, the resolve to try different approaches, and the resilience to remain committed even when your efforts don't seem to be appreciated.

That said, I have a few suggestions for actions you can take once the proper mindset has been established:

• Declare your intentions to restore trust to the organization, but be sure to back them up with action. Avoid frequent “dog and pony shows” without the substance to back them up.
• Role-model the behavior you want to see. If you want people to trust you, then first extend trust in a meaningful way.
• Don't expect immediate returns. Set your sights on longer-term rewards and stay the course.
• Make highly visible changes to send a clear signal to the organization that you’re serious.
• Don't ask people to trust you. Ask them for the opportunity to demonstrate your trustworthiness.
• Don't blame people for dragging their baggage from the past into the present. We all do it and none of us just put the baggage down because somebody tells us we need to get over it. Instead, take time to understand their experience, empathize with them, do what you can to let them know your intentions to remedy the situation, and then actually do it.
• Spend time in their world. If you’re a leader with an office, don't expect people to come to you. Go to their workspaces where they feel more comfortable.
• Be honest! If there is a problem that can’t be solved to their satisfaction, be honest about it and let them know what to expect.
• Do less strategizing and more acting in the moment. Instead of meeting for hours to "come up with a strategy to assess the nature of people's complaints and put a system in place to prioritize those and brainstorm possible solutions, etc." Just go and talk to a few people and do what you can with what you find out.
• Focus on baby steps and have faith in the compound effect of the small gains you make. People are talking and word is spreading, even if you don't see it.
• Don't judge your effectiveness based on the few naysayers who are louder than the silent majority secretly cheering you on.
• Devise a communication plan to ensure information is shared in a variety of ways with people all over the organization. Make sure there are mechanisms by which people can easily share their thoughts and questions.
• If people are disinterested in and bored by your townhall meetings, stop having them and figure out how to use the time more wisely to connect with people.

These are just a few of my suggestions, and I’ll admit they are a lot easier said than done. I hope these give you a good starting point to begin undoing the legacy of a toxic boss, but if you have any questions about your particular situation, feel free to send me a message and I’ll be more than happy to provide my perspective.

If there are topics you find to be of special value to you, or if you’d just like to get in touch and chat about what’s going on with you, simply reply to this newsletter or send me an email at amir@theghannadgroup.com. If you’re experiencing challenges that you would like my perspective on, or you’d like to explore how we can partner with you to support you in your transformative journey, please click here to schedule a call with me. I’d love to hear from you.

Further Reading

If you’d like to learn more about topics covered in this week’s newsletter article, check out the related resources I’ve included below.

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