Thursday, March 1, 2018

Trust for Teams and Practical Steps to Build It

Trust: (noun) Assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; dependence on something future or contingent; something committed or entrusted to one to be used or cared for in the interest of another; (verb) Believe in the reliability, veracity, ability or strength of someone or something
These definitions resonate with me, all of them.  In my humble opinion, trust is the most important element of a successful business enterprise.  Unfortunately, it is also one of the hardest elements to find and get right (Meinert, 2016) (Becker, 2018).  In this article, I will make the case for building and maintaining trust in the workplace and then offer practical steps to create trust, nurture it, and help it grow.

Why is trust important for the workplace?

Does it seem odd to you that I would even ask that question?  If so, then please stick with me.  I hope to convince you that it’s critical.  If you read that question and thought “There are hundreds of reasons.” Good for you!!!  You are with me on this and can help convince the skeptics and cynics among us.
Human beings are social creatures.  We developed to be social animals from the very start of our evolution.  We find evidence of society in the remains left behind by the earliest humans and even some of our non-Homo sapiens relatives.  The development of societal bonds has been one of the major success factors for our species.  It has allowed for shared labor, safety nets for those who fall ill or have difficulties, and enough food for a larger group than was possible in individual family units.
Society uses trust as one of its most basic and critical elements even though its importance is generally unrecognized until trust starts to break down (Karen S. Cook, Editor, 2001).  Social stability is threatened by a lack of trust, whether that social unit is a work group, a team, or a community.  If members of a group cannot trust one another, then the ability to work together effectively is compromised.  (Institute, n.d.)

So, that’s all very nice, now what?

Now we start building.  Building trust is something that you should think about every day.  Building trust is part and parcel with being an ethical and responsible person but if you are not deliberate about it at the outset of trust building exercises, it can be easy to forget and accidentally break trust.  Breaking trust is a huge hurdle to have to overcome, so it is best to not do it.  Being deliberate in trust building efforts helps ensure you never have to say you’re sorry.

Ways to build trust as an individual

First, take your group to an offsite location.  Then, set up some pillows in case someone gets dropped….  No, trust falls are not necessary or even advisable.  There are many ways you can demonstrate and build trust in a real world environment.  Here are a few and some explanation for each.
1.       Lead by example: When you show someone that you have confidence in them and know they can handle a situation, then they are predisposed to respond in like ways toward you and others.  Micromanagement of others is a sure-fire trust breaker.  By hovering over others and questioning their every action and decision, you are signaling that you have no trust in them or their capabilities.  This does not mean that you should never have follow-ups with your team members. What it means is that you should give people the space to do their thing and then follow up to see their progress, give encouragement and guidance and then trust them to move on. 
2.       Show respect:  When you are working with a group of people, give everyone respect at the outset.  Showing respect is about the little things that demonstrate you value a person or a group of people.  You can do this by doing the following:
a.       Be consistently on time for meetings
b.      Refrain from talking over people, no matter how excited you are
c.       Speak with people in a respectful tone of voice and with respectful language
d.      Look people in the eye when talking and look at them when listening
e.      Give all speakers your undivided attention
3.       Follow through: If you say you will do something, do it.  Making promises to another person is an assurance that they can put their trust in you.  Failure to follow through means you are untrustworthy, period.  If something comes up and you are unable to meet your commitment to someone, let them know as soon as you realize it.  Even if you disappoint them by breaking a promise, you at least let them know that you respect them by warning them of your inability to follow through. 
4.       Communicate openly: When you communicate openly you foster an environment of transparency.  Incomplete communication implies a lack of trust on your part and then makes people trust you less.  If there are things that cannot be communicated to a certain audience for a good reason, establish a protocol for communications security and widely publicize it.  Be sure to include the reasons for needing communication security and make sure everyone understands it. Then, when something isn’t communicated, make sure it is because of your rules and always stick to your rules.
5.       Put the interests of the team ahead of your self-interests:  Often the good of the team is in our own best interest too.  That makes this trust building method a piece of cake.  Sometimes, however a situation arises that makes it superficially more rewarding to take your own interests to heart.  Unfortunately, when you let yourself fall victim to that thinking, you are telling your team members that they don’t matter, the goal doesn’t matter, and you do not respect or value them.  You may or may not agree with what the team is working on and it may seem to be less agreeable for you, that’s OK to say.  You should state your reservations and then let the topic go.  Support the team and their work anyway.  If you do this, you are saying you value the team and the goal.  By voicing your disagreement but accepting the consensus, you are showing others that you value their knowledge and opinion.  If things don’t work out, be sure not to fall into the “I told you so.” trap.  The team knows what you said.  Lastly, be aware of your intent when you are interacting with a group of people.  This exercise in self-awareness helps you examine your motives and helps you maintain your own ethics along with building trust between yourself and others.
6.       Listen: Listening to the people around you is one of the most important ways to build trust.  When you listen to someone, you are showing them that you value them and what they have to say.  When you listen, listen attentively and actively.  Do your level best to eliminate distractions.  Put away your electronic devices.  Make eye contact.  Use active listening skills such as observing body language, smile while listening, and lean in toward the speaker.  Ask questions to probe the person’s thoughts and gain a deeper understanding of the message they are giving.  If you want more information on active listening, there are many different resources available.  Google is your friend and will give you more information than you can absorb.
7.       Be open to feedback:  We are not all perfect and everyone has room for improvement.  When you are given constructive feedback, be genuinely grateful.  When someone has taken the time and has the consideration for you to give feedback, they are telling you that they value you.  When you show gratitude for feedback, discuss it, and work on changing as a result of it, you are signaling your respect and value for the person who gave the feedback as well as showing self-awareness and respect because you want to become a better individual and team member.  When someone gives you feedback, even if you don’t agree with it acknowledge the spirit in which it is given.  Remember that a person’s perceptions may differ from yours and take the opportunity to be introspective.  The person giving feedback may have misread you, the situation, or the signals in the environment, however their feedback is still valid and allows you and the person giving feedback to grow and build trust.  Never be afraid to discuss feedback with an open mind.
8.       Recognize each team member as an individual:  When you demonstrate that you value each person as they are and their individual ability to contribute to the team, you are showing respect and accepting that your way isn’t the only “right” way of doing things.  We are generally not able to pick out who will be our team members, let alone select the team to which we are assigned. We have to build relationships with total strangers and work in a coordinated effort toward a common goal.  Recognizing that we are not going to like the same things, behave the save way, think the same way, or react the same way to a given situation is a huge step toward being an effective team member.  Demonstrating your acceptance of diversity and the fact that you appreciate other perspectives and ideas builds trust in ways that saying you support diversity cannot.  Remember, actions speak louder than words. 
9.       Help:  When someone needs some assistance, don’t hesitate to jump in and help.  If you see someone struggling, let them know you see it and offer help or just lend a hand without being asked.  It’s a simple human kindness that speaks volumes about how much you value someone.  In the end, you will be rewarded in kind many fold because of the seeds you planted when you helped someone out.

Ways to build trust in a group

Groups need strong leaders, so when we talk about building trust within a group, you must have at least one person within that group willing and able to be a leader.  Generally speaking, a team needs to have a person who can spearhead these efforts. 
1.       Deal with unhealthy conflict: In any relationship, you’re going to have conflict.  Failing to address unhealthy conflict within a group is a sure fire way to ruin trust.  As a team, you must be willing to look at the situation and deal with it openly.  Keeping things hidden and unsaid is a recipe for resentment.  A leader in the team must be able to compassionately bring conflict into the open and lead safe and sane discourse on the point of contention until consensus can be reached.  When a team has a leader that is unafraid to help resolve conflict, they know they can bring problems to them and get results.  That’s trust
2.       Link individual and team priorities to your organization’s strategies and goals: Context means a lot.  People like to feel as though they are a part of something bigger.  Aligning team and individual goals with those of the larger organization signals that the company wants to bring everyone in on success.
3.       Foster a supportive environment:  Teams that are supportive of each other at work and even outside work makes for an environment of trust.  When you know someone has your best interests at heart, it’s easier to trust.  When you take time and put energy into helping others within the team meet their needs and aspirations, you are showing each member on the team that they are important.
4.       Make sure everyone has their time in the spotlight:  Ensuring that each member of the team gets their moments of praise and recognition helps people understand what each team member brings to the team effort and rewards them for their work.  Be sure that the praise that is given, is sincere and genuinely heartfelt.  People can tell when someone is giving empty praise, so don’t do it.
5.       Leaders take the heat for the team:  Every team has its times of trouble.  When something unfortunate happens, leaders who protect their team from the ire and tribulation surrounding it make huge strides in building trust with that team.  If a leader is willing to be the center of negative attention in order to allow their team to regroup and move ahead, that leader is demonstrating that they put the welfare of the team ahead of their own.  That’s trust gold.
6.       Keep team members accountable for their actions and outcomes:  Every single team member must be equally accountable to the team to carry their weight on that team.  Holding each other accountable and answerable is the best way to keep people together and performing at their peak.  It also helps head off resentment or feelings of favoritism.
7.       Invest time in teaching teams how to discuss, debate, and decide: When an organization takes the extra cost and effort to give their teams the tools they need for success, it shows that the organization cares about the team and individuals.  When teams are trained together and asked to demonstrate their learning in real life, the team can build trust as they learn how to interact with each other.  Over time, this will build a high performing team that will be formidable in their ability to work together on tough topics.
8.       Build respect into your team charter: If you are working as a group without a charter, shame on you.  Charters give your team an agreed to standard of behavior which allows trust to blossom.  By including respectful communication and behavioral practices in that charter, you are telling the team that each team member is important, their contributions are important, and that the team is important.  Once you have a charter, enforce it evenly and with compassion.  Recognize violations and address them appropriately.  If a disruptive behavior starts out, address it directly with the violator in person and as soon as possible.  Some violations need to be addressed in public, some in private.  Those choices are sometimes hard to make.  Compassion for the violator feeds into your decision on when to talk.  Think about how you would feel if called out in public for something.  If you would be horribly embarrassed, you might want to have a private conversation.
9.       Play together: The old, trite team building games make people crazy.  Instead of doing trust falls and zip lines, do things that allow people to participate in their own terms.  Have a picnic or pot luck lunch.  Designate a time period on a regular basis to play board or card games.  Bring a putting green to the office and have a small contest.  Go to see a movie as a team. All of these things allow people to connect on a human level.  Getting to know a person as a human being, not just a role in the workplace helps to form bonds that allow trust to form.  It is easy to mistrust a person you don’t know so make sure your team members get to know one another.

Can I trust your motives for asking me to trust you?

When you ask others to give you their trust, you are asking a great deal.  Before you do it, be sure to really understand your motives.  Con artists ask people to trust them in order to take advantage of others.  Not that you would ever think of doing that, but because unscrupulous people do, members of our society have developed skepticism that is likely more robust than is healthy.
To diffuse skepticism, be transparent and honest as possible.  Explore your motives and share them with the people you are asking to trust you.  In a team situation, you will likely need to explain why a goal must be met or why an idea has great merit.  When you are honest with yourself before asking for that trust, you can be sure that your idea or goal benefits everyone and that you are asking people to do the right thing for themselves and your organization.  If you cannot honestly say that your idea or your goal is in the best interest of the organization, then you probably should not bring it up in public.  If you’re not sure, ask a close friend, co-worker, or team member that you trust to give you their opinion.  Introspection is a valuable skill and will serve you well at work and in the outside world.

Who am I?  Why should you trust me?

I’m Lisa Combest.  I have been working in software in some capacity since 1989.  I entered into continuous process improvement around 1992 and became interested in “requirements engineering” in 1996.  I’ve been a computer graphic artist, department manager, web developer, project manager, and business analyst.  All through my career, I have been interested in how teams work together and ways in which we can get high volumes of good work done while being happy to do it.  I’ve worked for small, established shops, startups, Fortune 50 companies, and in between.  Throughout my time, I have found that the people I work with and the relationships I make with them keep me showing up with a smile on my face day after day and help to drive my desire to do my best.
With that in mind, I’ve committed myself to helping others by sharing what I’ve learned in my career.  After almost 30 years in the software development business, it’s time that I gave back some of the wonderful knowledge others have passed along.  In that spirit, I offer you this article.  I hope it gives you some food for growth.

Bibliography

Becker, S. (2018, January). 8 Reasons Employees Don't Trust Their Boss or Company. Retrieved from Money and Career Cheat Sheet.
Institute, R. (n.d.). Building Trust; Building Community Resilience. Retrieved from Community and Regional Resilience Institute.
Karen S. Cook, Editor. (2001). Publications - Trust in Society. Retrieved from Russell Sage Foundation: https://www.amazon.com/Trust-Society-Russell-Sage-Foundation/dp/0871541815
Meinert, D. (2016, June). Why Employees Don't Trust Their Leaders. Retrieved from Society for Human Resrouce Management.


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