Why trust is a manager's most powerful attribute

The ability to achieve the trust of your team is the ultimate key to management success, according to a recent Harvard Business School Working Knowledge post by academic Jim Heskett.

Heskett says his empirical research proves trust is absolutely essential to the successful implementation of the policies and procedures necessary to implement strategy.

While loyalty, engagement and ownership are all listed of vital ingredients of management success, it's trust that builds the relationships needed to accommodate other workplace attributes.

But what drives trust?

Heskett argues it's all about follow-through, the idea that managers should seek to deliver on any promises made to employees unless extenuating circumstances prevail.

What do you think – is trust the ultimately key to management success? Or is focusing on this one attribute an overly simplistic approach?