The 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer global report shows us that distrust is widespread and that this is manifesting itself in alarming polarisation, with increasing numbers of people around the world perceiving entrenched and insurmountable divisions in their societies. With trust in government and media at an all-time low, the report also indicates that business is now the only trusted institution, and that people expect business leaders to engage with and lead on our biggest societal issues, such as the climate crisis, technological change, and social inequality.
A leader’s ability to navigate their business through these challenges – before they can even think about impacting positively upon them – requires a solid culture of trust. Indeed, Impact’s recent survey of over 500 global CEOs and senior executives* shows that the number one driver of people engagement and retention is trust. It comes in above salary, culture, workplace environment, and career prospects – and that’s regardless of age, gender, or global region.
Building trust through dialogue
So how do we build trust? It’s through a number of different things, the exact combination of which will be unique to the people involved and the situation. However, a well-understood approach is that trust is built upon a foundation of quality dialogue. Many of us spend our time stuck in circular patterns of polite discussion or debate, in which opinions are rarely shifted, no one is truly listened to, and the really important, really difficult things are left unsaid.
Dialogue is not about advancing opinions, winning arguments, or reaching conclusions. As Otto Scharmer describes in his work on the Four Fields of Conversation, dialogue is a process of discovery about emerging futures, in which participants seek new understandings, respectfully explore others’ perspectives, and engage in deep reflection, whilst gaining awareness of their own biases and judgments. Skilful dialogue is about engaging with other worldviews and the experiences that have informed them, enabling broader understanding and new lenses.
Dialogue shifts the dial. It builds relationships. It catalyses performance.
How to build your dialogue skills
Here are the four key conditions that we believe are most important for quality dialogue:
1. Establish a human-centred culture
Human-centred organisations function on three intersecting qualities: empathy, support, and challenge. Together, they provide a useful framework for thinking about dialogue:
1a. Empathy – Seeking to understand others from their own point of view supports authentic dialogue. What is important to them? What experiences, values, and beliefs underpin their perspective? Get curious and you’ll create the conditions others need to speak openly and deepen your understanding of what they are saying.
2b. Support – Whereas debate can be defensive or adversarial, dialogue takes place in a supportive atmosphere. Listen more than you speak, seek out new or different points of view, and balance enquiry with advocacy.
3c. Challenge – Part of quality dialogue is being able to provoke new thinking or challenge others in a way that stimulates curiosity rather than inflaming tensions. It’s about asking questions that will empower them to look at the issue from different angles, evaluate their own beliefs, and spark new insights. It also means challenging yourself to do the same.
2. Be intentional
Dialogue requires discipline; it doesn’t happen unless we make it happen. A large part of this is preparation. Ask yourself: What exactly are you curious about? What conditions of psychological safety will the other person need to speak openly? What will you need? How can you minimise distractions? This is particularly pertinent for a remote working context.
Sometimes productive dialogue is spontaneous, but it still requires self-awareness. Pay attention to your biases, judgments, and assumptions. Notice your thought processes and patterns. How are they interfering and how should you manage them? Are there any topics you are avoiding? Are you being your most authentic self or are you holding back?
3. Work on your listening skills
What makes dialogue unique is that the most important part of it isn’t speaking – it’s listening. Many people assume listening to be an innate human ability, but, in reality, it’s a skill that must be cultivated. At Impact, our listening model outlines different modes that sit on a sliding scale from self-absorbed, inattentive listening, through to deep, non-judgmental listening. The key differentiator in the quality of your listening is whether your focus is on yourself, or the other person. Deep, active listening means being completely engaged in what the other person is saying, putting yourself in their shoes, and suspending your own agenda.
4. Make yourself vulnerable
True dialogue can only occur between authentic, genuine selves – people who can share their feelings, uncertainties, and honest thoughts. But outdated workplace cultures of professionalism, rigidity and hierarchy have left many of us afraid of vulnerability, hiding our emotions behind walls and protective facades of behaviour, defending ourselves with the ballast of prejudice, and clinging onto our reputations and fixed identities.
Exposing our authentic selves – warts and all – can be intensely uncomfortable, but this is where the true human magic happens. Because the strongest relationships and most productive dialogues are built on foundations of mutual vulnerability. And sometimes, the most powerful catalyst of discovery and trust is admitting that you don’t know the answer.
Looking ahead
Dialogue may well be the first step towards reversing the attrition of trust in society and tackling the spread of polarisation. We believe it’s also the first step towards making our organisations future fit.
Organisations with dialogue skills are most equipped to navigate the volatility of our global business landscape. They can collaborate and innovate across boundaries, because they are practised in the human arts of support, empathy, and curiosity. They can solve problems because they can listen to each other. And they can be agile because they are already unified behind a collective purpose, understanding what each person needs to be at their best.
In these challenging times, people have higher expectations of business leaders than ever before. A leader’s ability to navigate and engage with the societal issues we face demands trust, and it pivots on the quality of the dialogue that builds that trust.
Whatever your purpose, it’s time to put human-to-human dialogue at the forefront of your business strategy.
