Building A Team Based on Trust

“Trust is a fragile thing.  Easy to break, easy to lose and one of the hardest things to ever get back.”

If we cannot trust each other, we will not be successful as an orga­nisa­tion.­  As a manager or leader, we must first earn the trust of our colleagues and in doing so we will hopefully be able to start to depend on each other and to take the first steps to building a culture of trust.

There are significant business benefits that come with a culture of trust.  Individual employees feel comfortable in being able to put forward their ideas, colleagues face business challenges with a healthy mindset and they have confidence to be themselves within a work environment.

So as a leader how do we go about building that that culture of trust.

1.Understand the perso­nali­ties of your team

Learn about each individual within the group.  Why they work, what their goals are, what motivates them and the best way to communicate with them.  These things sound so simple but so many leaders communicate with each colleague in the same way.  By getting to know your team indi­vidu­ally, your team members will feel valued.­ 

2.Open commu­nica­tion

Encourage discussion.  Share news, discuss concerns openly with your team and be transparent.  Ensure that everyone understands their role in achieving company goals and that they believe in and and understand how they will each benefit from the company values.  If each colleague has clear direction this will assist in developing a culture of trust.  Even when the going is tough having clear goals and direction will instill trust in colleagues and they will be more invested in their individual roles.

3.Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”.

As leaders, if we allow our teams to see that we are completely open about our individual strengths, weaknesses and knowledge, then this too will foster a culture of trust.  Colleagues will learn to raise issues early and to be open and honest.  By admitting that we will have to investigate something and get back to a colleague, we demonstrate that each of us is looking at continuous individual improvement and that brings honesty into our team culture.

4.Show that you value your team’s ideas

Give praise openly and regularly to reward great ideas.  However, it is important to encourage sharing ideas as a team so simple rewards should be shared by all.  That way there is no favouritism and your team will adopt an “all for one” approach to what they do.  Take time out to share success stories with the team too.  However, rewards for professional individual merit should only be part of any individual review.

5.Accept that mistakes will happen

With many great ideas we will undoubtly get some mistakes. By being open to change, we will not always get it right but we will encourage our team to seek constant change and development.   By welcoming and accepting an element of failure within your business culture, it will encourage your team to be innovative and share their ideas. 

Why not contact Monarch Personnel to learn how to take the first step towards building a culture of trust within your operation.­  We can help you to understand the perso­nali­ties within your team by using personality profiling.­  We would love to hear from you.