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11 Things That Happen When People Lose Trust In Their Leaders

on May 27, 2023 in Experience

“Any time some trust is lost, it makes the process much more difficult and there was some trust lost. That’s as blunt as I can be.” – Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr

On Wednesday October 5, 2022, the following incident took place during a pre-season practice session of the Golden State Warriors:

This shocking TMZ video shows Warriors superstar Draymond Green coming chest-to-chest with guard Jordan Poole during a break in practice.  Poole then proceeds to shove Green to create distance between the two.  However, Green immediately responds by connecting with a punch directly to Poole’s face.

According to this The Athletic article, the team’s general manager Bob Myers indicated Green later apologized to Poole personally and the team collectively.  Response from the media and league analyst was varied ranging from this happens often and it’s just not caught on camera, to the team would be irreparably damaged.

As a result of the team’s second-round play-off defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, it appears the latter to be the case.

During his end-of-the-year Tuesday, May 16 press conference, head coach Steve Kerr addressed the preseason altercation and the long-term impact it had on the team.  From his comments, we learn eleven things that happen when people lose trust in their leaders.  The following is the first of two clips from the media session followed by the lessons.

The Loss Of Trust Harms Your Legacy

Leaders are too valuable to be reckless with their influence and mismanage it.  The Warriors are simply a less-talented team without Green and it may have possibly cost the team its fifth championship.

Kerr said, “Look, if Draymond is not back, we’re not a championship contender.  We know that.  He’s that important to winning and to who we are.  I absolutely want him back.  He’s a competitor.  He’s an incredible defensive player.   You can check all of those boxes.”

For a deeper dive on the value leaders bring to an organization, read 13 Things Extraordinary Leaders Do Every Single Day.

The Loss Of Trust Wastes A Lifetime Of Hard Work

Leadership takes a lifetime to build but can be lost in a single moment in time.  Trust is the foundation of all successful relationships, therefore diligence is required to have lasting influence.

Kerr continued, “He and I have built a really special relationship that has run the gamut over the years.  We’ve had our share of run-ins.  But we’ve been through so much.  We really care about each other and work together well.  He knows that he had a great season this year, from a basketball perspective.  But he knows that he also compromised things by what happened back in October.”

The Loss Of Trust Also Means The Loss Of Respect

Kerr acknowledged, “So part of him coming back next year has to be about rebuilding some of that trust and respect that he’s earned here for a long period of time.”

The Loss Of Trust Requires Hard And Difficult Conversations

Confrontation is required when trust is lost.  Too much damage has simply been done.  Hard conversations must be had.  Kerr added, “One thing I love about Draymond is he’s always brutally honest, and he can take that sort of critique because he knows it’s the truth.”

The Loss Of Trust Could Result In The Loss Of Your Leadership Position

Depending on the severity of the event(s) that resulted in the loss of trust, the leader may not just lose trust, they may lose their position or career.  Kerr hopefully noted, “So I want him back.  I think we all want him back.  Hopefully that’s exactly what happens and we get ready to make another run next year.”

Coach Kerr continues in the clip below:

The Loss Of Trust Causes The Loss Of Chemistry

For more on the subject of team chemistry, read Why Nick Saban Believes You Can Never Have Team Chemistry.  Coach Kerr would likely agree with Coach Saban’s thought.  He conceded, “Some of that (chemistry) was lost this year for sure.  There’s no hiding from it.  The incident with Draymond and Jordan at the beginning of the year played a role in that.”

The Loss Of Trust Damages Your Entire Team

This is responsibility which comes with leadership.  Leaders do not operate in silos.  Every word, action, and deed they do impacts everyone they influence.  The great the influence, the greater the impact.  Kerr realized, “It’s hard for that not to impact a team.”

The Loss Of Trust Hurts Team Culture

Seth Godin said in this article, “Culture is people like us do things like this.”  Green’s actions were certainly not reflective of the Warriors organization.

Kerr confessed, “We feel we have a great group of people on the roster, the coaching staff, and front office.  We have a way of doing things that we’re proud of but those things were definitely challenged this year.   Any time some trust is lost, it makes the process much more difficult and there was some trust lost. That’s as blunt as I can be.”

Smart and successful leaders understand the importance of culture and if I so dare to use the word, fight for it on a daily basis.  For a deeper dive on culture, read the following articles:

The Loss Of Trust Requires Relationships To Be Rebuilt

Love is not the most important word in the English language.  It is relationships because relationships are the tracks love runs on.  Therefore, Kerr is addressing this.  He said, “The only way to try to correct course is to continue to communicate with players and coaches and those relationships have to be built, the bonds have to be built.”

Regaining Lost Trust Takes Time, Often A Long Time To Rebuild

What is sobering is how long it takes to build trust, then how quickly it can be lost, and then how much longer it takes to rebuild.  Trust is a valuable, valuable commodity.

Kerr noted, “I think that’s a major focus for us this off-season is we have to get back to what has made us really successful which is really (a) trusting environment and a group that relies on one another and makes each other better.”

The Loss Of Trust May Cause You To Unnecessarily Lose Your Best People

Emotionally-healthy people do not want to be in dysfunctional environments.

The punch has had additional ramifications.  Myers and Coack Kerr both have contracts which need to be redone.  Kerr addressed this during the session as well.  He said, “Our organization has a lot to sort through this summer.  My contract situation is not, nor should it be, at the top of the list.  Right now Bob’a contract situation is number one because that influences a lot of the player decisions that have to be made, contracts, draft, free agency.  We will get to my stuff whenever that happens and I’m in no rush for that.”

Kerr concluded, “I’m under no illusions that I have a lifetime job here or something like that but I love what I do, and I hope to be coaching here for a long time.  But you never know how things work out.  So we’ll see.”

The Golden State Warriors certainly never dreamed things would work out between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole like they did.  That is what happens when trust in leadership is lost.

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