Build Genuine Trust, Active Listening and Networking to Unlock Your Full Potential

Author: Sean Bilodeau and Esther Shelton | Date: September 24, 2024

LIGHTS … CAMERA… ACTION!!

The “glamorous” world of television news is often associated with stylish anchors and reporters dictating the day’s events with a panache so polished you’d think they spent the entire day practicing in front of a mirror. But, behind the scenes, there’s another crucial element at play: trust. The viewers trust these professionals to deliver accurate, reliable news, and that trust is built through transparency, integrity, and consistency.

Now, you might be wondering what all of this has to do with accounting.

The truth is, the principles of building trust are universal, whether you’re on camera or crunching numbers behind the scenes.

The path to success is not paved with mere talent or hard work alone; cultivating essential relationships and skills are what set you apart. Imagine transforming your career by mastering the art of building genuine trust, harnessing the power of active listening, and strategically expanding your network. These fundamental elements can unlock new opportunities and propel you towards achieving your goals.

To delve into this concept, Esther Shelton and Sean Bilodeau shed light on how trust, active listening, and networking play a pivotal role in your work and why they are essential for your career.

Sean: Esther, in today’s accounting world, it’s not enough to be a technical expert. Professionals are consultants, business developers, and advisors. With so many talented individuals in the profession, how can someone truly stand apart and be trusted to lead and grow their practice?

Esther: The answer begins with a fundamental yet powerful principle: building trust.

Trust is not just a soft skill; it’s about your character. Trust is the cornerstone of effective professional relationships and is crucial for career growth. When cultivated, it can significantly enhance your career trajectory and open doors to exciting opportunities. Colleagues and clients are more inclined to invest in someone they trust, which can lead to greater responsibilities and new projects, setting you up for success and advancement.

Those around you and your career are not the benefactors of building trust. Trust also extends benefits to the trust builder. According to a Harvard Business Review published study (Zak, 2017), trust is a key factor in increasing a person’s career longevity, productivity, and satisfaction. As compared with people in low-trust environments, people with trust-building career paths report to have:

• 106% more energy at work
• 76% more engagement
• 50% higher productivity
• 40% less burnout
• 74% less stress
• 29% more satisfaction with their lives.

Sean: Those are great insights, Esther! What can a professional do to build trust with their colleagues, clients, and network?

Esther:
1. Demonstrate consistency and deliver on your commitments. Be consistent in the essentials. When people see you as dependable, they are more likely to rely on you in the future. Deliver on the promises you make, meet the deadline, improve your knowledge and abilities, and maintain a steady level of performance. Then take responsibility for your actions and the outcomes. “One-offs” happen; if you make a mistake, own up to it and work toward a solution, which also cultivates trust.
2. Communication with transparency, respect, and empathy. It’s not solely about what you do but also how you do it. In both professional and personal environments, I like to communicate the “why” behind decisions and encourage open conversations. This approach allows people to feel informed and included. When I communicate the rationale of the decision and promote open discussions, my colleagues and clients have an opportunity to support the idea and/or to contribute diverse perspectives as we work toward common goals. Actively listening with respect and empathy, even when disagreements arise, demonstrates that you care about their input and experiences and fosters trust.
3. Foster positive relationships. Take the time to connect with colleagues and clients on a personal level. Be real. Show genuine interest in their well-being and professional goals. Relationship building enhances trust and creates a more collaborative work environment.
4. Be ethical and honest. Always act with integrity and ethical decision-making. Your character is more important than a short-term goal. Your commitment to ethical behavior will reinforce your trustworthiness.

Moreover, trust enables deeper collaboration and networking, which opens opportunities for meaningful partnerships and mentorships that can help you gain visibility and access to resources to accelerate your professional development.

Esther: Sean, you bring a unique perspective of having worked both as an auditor and a broadcast journalism professional. How are you able to build trust with individuals in both industries?

Sean: Actively listen to your subject or client. The best interviews of my career happened when I let the conversation “breathe” and the subject/source guided me on a journey, to someplace special, insights that would not be attainable if I overly orchestrated, directed, or pigeonholed the conversation. Use the same approach in accounting circles to yield amazing conversations. You’ll glean more about your client, their goals and potential areas where you can add value. The key is to actively listen to what they’re saying. Often, we’re so preoccupied about what we will say and how we personally will be perceived that this all-important skill fades into the background. Some of the barriers that stand between you and the most meaningful and productive conversations may include:

• • Internal and external distractions
  • Preoccupation about the next thing we’re going to say
  • Impatience; rushing to solve a problem
  • Poor listening habits
  • Bias
  • Information overload
  • Cultural differences
  • Lack of focus

Active listening is crucial to having dynamic conversations; the practice is an art. It’s not easy to block out the challenges and to listen to your subject at an intuitive level. Techniques I’ve used in conversations with clients and as a coach include:

• • Paraphrasing
  • Looking for non-verbal cues
  • Taking minimal notes
  • Asking empowering, open-ended questions
  • Using the pause to let the conversation breathe

I absorb myself in the conversation. So, I take minimal notes to fully hear what the subject is saying. I also watch their body language to see if it matches the words coming out of their mouth. I’ve been able to pick up on cues that things have been “off” more than a few times. Often, by not saying anything at all, the other person often elaborates with more information. Resist the temptation to jump in with an immediate thought. Finally, always incorporate open-ended questions to force the interview subject to give you something more than a “yes” or “no” answer.

Esther: Those are great points, Sean, and they seem to be important reminders across professions. As a CPA and CFE, I have incorporated many of the same techniques in my fraud examinations as well as in my audit and consulting work. Non-verbal cues are so critical to communication. And we all need to be reminded to let the conversation “breathe”.

We’ve talked about how building trust and active listening are essential to everyone’s career. How do professionals use those skills to build a professional network?

Sean: Actively listening and building trust are essential components to building a network. I remember an old Kids in the Hall comedy sketch where they described networking as “businesspeople meeting other businesspeople for the purposes of meeting at a later date.” While the line is cheeky, there is a power in effectively networking across an organization or a profession.

I’ve been involved in the accounting industry for nearly 17 years (journalism for six). During that time, I’ve built a strong network by doing the following:

• Staying in touch with former colleagues, alumni and old friends – You never know who can help you and whom you can help.
• Volunteering and contributing to enterprise projects
• Attending in-person events
• Joining a local community
• Being a mentor
• Cultivating long-term relationships, not transactional ones
• Leveraging networking platforms
• Being AUTHENTIC!

We all communicate and build relationships in a unique way. All these items can help you build a stronger, more diverse network. The key is to be intentional. It’s not just a matter of showing face; you must clearly articulate your goals. Such purpose provides a sound foundation to find the appropriate contacts, develop action plans, and maintain accountability.

Esther: Thanks for those steps to intentionally building a network, Sean. Another great part of networking is also actively listening to the goals of others around you. You might be able to help them reach their goals or know someone else who can help them.

Take-aways

We mentioned cultivating essential relationships and skills are what set people apart. Trust builds a solid foundation for professional relationships, active listening fosters deeper connections and effective communication, and networking provides access to a broader array of opportunities.

The beauty of our three key strategies is that they are within reach for anyone willing to invest time and effort. Building trust takes consistency and integrity; active listening requires practice and empathy; and networking demands genuine engagement and follow-up. These strategies are accessible to everyone and can significantly impact your career trajectory. With dedication to these practices, you can open more doors to advance your career and contribute to a more collaborative and supportive overarching business environment.

Works Cited
Zak, P. J. (2017, January). The Neuroscience of Trust. Retrieved September 11, 2024, from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-neuroscience-of-trust