2 of 3

At the core, the decision of whether to have faith in employees may come down to a manager's theological leanings regarding human nature, Smith says. "Is man a fallen creature who has no possibility of doing good, or is man made in the likeness of God, conformed to the image of Christ, and therefore in the process of becoming [more like] Christ? Many Christians have grown up thinking that total depravity means that people are [incapable of any good]. And if we believe our workers are totally depraved, we won't even give them a chance to show us otherwise." Smith believes that this attitude results in a downward spiral: managers do not trust employees, employees take few risks and do only what is necessary in their jobs, and the managers thus believe their first instinct not to trust them was correct.

Of course, leaders from the top finalists of this year's survey are not naïve and do not trust blindly. They seek to hire dependable and competent people. Then they give them the latitude and freedom they need to demonstrate their trustworthiness. There are two types of trust involving employees—trust in their integrity and trust in their competence, says Bill Couchenour, president of finalist Cogun, a church design and construction company.

"If you're talking about a trust in competency, or the ability to do a job, then a leader gives that trust incrementally as a person grows into their potential," he says. "But if you're talking about a trust in integrity, a leader must trust from the beginning." Several leaders of top finalists who cultivate trust among their employees admit that there have been occasions when their trust has been violated, but their attitudes have not changed on this issue. Couchenour believes that "the benefits far outweigh the dangers. I've been surprised in a positive sense many more times than I've been disappointed."

One such rewarding instance occurred when Tim Cool, a district manager at Cogun, and his wife had triplets in 1996. His job typically had him on the road two or three nights a week, but once his children were born, the company gave him the freedom to arrange his schedule in whatever way he needed to best suit his family life, in addition to providing him with a laptop computer to work from home.

"Everyone was supportive," Cool says. "This type of concern for a team member's personal life and family has been echoed many times and in many ways by Cogun." Couchenour says, "We had confidence in [Cool], and he responded in a positive way. Most leaders fall into one of two camps. Either they believe people must be watched every minute so they don't take advantage of you, or they believe people will rise to the level of trust they have been given. I believe we are all, truly, created in God's image. Because of that fact, I believe that our normal state is to desire what is good and what is best."

Missy Zahn, an executive assistant at Gospel Music Association, wanted to find some way that the Christian music industry could support U.S. troops stationed overseas. Her supervisor, GMA president John Styll, affirmed her idea to ask record companies to donate music for the troops, and let her take the lead in executing it. This resulted in shipments of several thousand CDs.

next page... |  2 of 3

share this page

May 2004, Vol. 48, No. 5