When supervisors use a lost of fine words about trust and respect but behave disdainfully, subordinates are likely to respond in kind. Fairness means giving credit where it's due, being objective and impartial in performance appraisals, giving priase liberally. Chronic lack of fairness will dry up trust and candor quikcly, but every act of support and fair play will prime the pump. Predictability is a matter of behaving consistently and dependably and of keeping both explicit and implicit promises. A broken promise can do considerable damage.
Competence means demonstrating technical and professional ability and good business sense.
Employees don't want to be subordinate to people they see as incompetent. Trust grows from seeds of decent behavior, but it thrives on the admiration and respect that only a capable leader can command. In a recent issue of The Futurist , six skills were identified as crucial for managers over the next decade. Fast decisions and rapid turnaround will be required along with instant feedback on performances. Performance expectations will need to be clearly articulated.