Without Trust, Respect and Humility, Your Company Won’t Make It Very Far

Reading Time: 
3 min

Written by: Tobias Günther

Sometimes, we need to look at the absence of something to really understand how valuable it is.

Take hot water as an example: it might not seem like a big deal… until you have to take cold showers in the winter. Clean clothes, three meals a day, … the list goes on and on.

A similar approach can be helpful when it comes to company culture. Trust, respect, or humility might all seem like cherries on top of the cake. But if a culture lacks these qualities, you’ll quickly come to see how critical they really are.

Let’s take a look at some core qualities and see what happens when they’re present — and when they’re missing!

With -or- Without Trust

✅ WITH TRUST…

“I know my colleagues have the best interests of the group in mind. I choose to trust them and believe they make sound decisions.”

🚫 WITHOUT TRUST…

“I give only little leeway to my subordinates, because they can’t be trusted. I choose to micromanage them and make all decisions myself.”

🪫 LACK OF TRUST LEADS TO…

  • management overhead
  • best people leaving
  • lack of ownership

With -or- Without Respect

✅ WITH RESPECT…

“I don’t believe I’m ‘above’ (or below) anyone else. I treat my colleagues kindly and respectfully.”

🚫 WITHOUT RESPECT…

“I look at people mostly as their roles and believe they’re only here to fulfill a job.”

🪫 LACK OF RESPECT LEADS TO:

  • dog-eat-dog mentality
  • loudest voice wins
  • introverts remaining silent

With -or- Without Humility

✅ WITH HUMILITY…

“I understand that this whole show is not about me. I also understand that I cannot reach big goals alone, without my colleagues.”

🚫 WITHOUT HUMILITY…

“I believe I can control everything. I believe I’m always the smartest person in the room.”

🪫 LACK OF HUMILITY LEADS TO:

  • low willingness to help + support
  • “everyone for themselves” mentality
  • low commitment

With -or- Without Transparency

✅ WITH TRANSPARENCY…

“I understand where the team and the company are headed. With this knowledge, I can make better decisions and contribute on a higher level. I feel included and connected to the company’s goals and purpose.”

🚫 WITHOUT TRANSPARENCY…

“I’m uncertain about the company’s future as well as my own. Not knowing the bigger picture, I have a hard time making the best decisions. Uncertainty and secrecy make it hard for me to feel part of the organization and commit fully.”

🪫 LACK OF TRANSPARENCY LEADS TO:

  • bad decision-making
  • feelings of stress + uncertainty
  • low commitment
  • no ownership

With -or- Without Responsibility

✅ WITH RESPONSIBILITY…

“I take full responsibility of every aspect of my work. I don’t look for excuses. I don’t look for ways to lay the blame on someone else.”

🚫 WITHOUT RESPONSIBILITY…

“This is not my fault. This is not my problem. This is not what I was hired for.”

🪫 LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY LEADS TO:

  • low quality
  • too many mistakes
  • lack of ownership

A Different Perspective

These short with-or-without comparisons make clear how important many of these “soft factors” really are. We can’t expect a company to run smoothly — to be successful and profitable — if our culture is mostly in a “without” state.

Take care,
Tobias

P.S.: If you want to make some of these qualities a reality in your team, you might want to look at some of my previous essays, e.g. on trust or transparency.