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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