Do you trust me?

Would you trust me if we were working on a board together? Does this mean we will always like each other and always agree? Hopefully the answer to the first two questions is yes (for those of you who know me) but the answer to the final question is likely to be No.  

Author David Ehrlichman in his book Impact Networks talks about how we shouldn’t confuse liking each other with ‘trust’ or agreeing with each other as ‘trust’. In fact in a board environment we need trust, but respectfully disagreeing with each is also a healthy part of how an effective board operates. Ehrlichman suggests that “This is the type of relationship that allows for people to hold the tension through disagreement and conflict, find common ground and work together to achieve mutual goals”  

In our Healthy Governance TM Workshop we delve into trust and what it actually means and how it works is supporting effective governance. Send me a message if you are keen to find out more and how you can improve your board skills and the effectiveness of your board as a whole.