Trust…Ethos…Ethics in the Workplace

Written by Judy W Bell on June 30, 2010. Posted in Ethics

Trust is the basic foundation for healthy relationships, effective communication, retention and motivation of employees, and most importantly… is the catalyst for the discretionary energy that employees put forth in their work. Discretionary energy is the extra effort and passion that employees voluntarily invest in their work…even when no one is looking. Productivity and financial success comes easily to a company when there is a strong foundation of trust. The importance of trust has been taught and written about for ages. Aristotle wrote of the importance of “ethos” in his work, the Rhetoric. He defined ethos as the level of trust held by the listener for the speaker. The three characteristics that we looked at in a blog earlier this week came from Aristotle’s Rhetoric. They are: Ability, Integrity, and Goodwill/Benevolence. Having trust in the workplace allows for increased cooperation, creativity, confidence, and communication… all very important to the success of your business!

“The glue that holds all relationships together…including the relationship between the leader and the led is trust, and trust is based on integrity.” Brian Tracy