The 5-Minute Manager - How to build Trust

The definition of trust is confidence in one another's reliability, commitment, and dependability. Do not underestimate the importance of trust in being a high-performance manager.

The moment team members start to doubt you or each other is the moment that “all is lost.” This is another reason why psychological safety is so critical. It ensures that team members feel comfortable enough to express their points of view, resulting in a collaborative environment that doesn’t punish them for expressing ideas.

Think about how to build trust and commitment in a team -- first, you must model trust by delivering on your commitments and building trust through individualization. To build trust, the approach is to strike a balance between appearing as warm and competent so that you come across as credible and human. Team members are generally aware of your background, namely, the credentials that gained you your current position. With credibility established, it’s now time to demonstrate some vulnerability and show that you are indeed a fallible human being. The combination of competence and warmth makes you seem more trustworthy.

Trust means being transparent to be open, and honest in the way you speak and act. To encourage these qualities in your team, you must demonstrate them yourself. Transparent leadership means you have nothing to hide; this builds trust with your team members. Team members know what direction you’re leading them in and what your intentions are; therefore, you need to be honest about the risks and potential issues attached to each task or project. Share the full scale of risks, issues and challenges and encourage team members to develop their ideas. Listen to the ideas they contribute, and over time, you’ll develop their trust. Trust and commitment mean team members will collaborate effectively on difficult projects:

·      Commitment is the flip side of trust. (You give me a commitment; I trust you will do it).

·      To earn trust, you must demonstrate trust.

·      Trust means making yourself vulnerable.

·      Trust must be accompanied by accountability.

·      Trust someone until you have evidence that you can’t.

·      Set your expectations of someone based on trust.

·      Learn to trust your intuition. (If something doesn’t sound or feel right, it probably isn’t).

Counsellors often employ one of three tactics when meeting a new client, they spill their coffee, drop their pad, or embarrass themselves somehow to show they are fallible. By making yourself vulnerable, it is possible to build trust quickly. You must demonstrate your credibility before exhibiting vulnerability; otherwise, it doesn’t work.

At your next team member check-In, embarrass yourself slightly; forget where you put your pad, spill your coffee, or simply drop your pen and have difficulty finding it. When you do this, comment, “It’s a dreadful thing to be human”, showing that you are just like everyone else.

Sometimes we accidentally say or do the wrong thing and can lose the trust we have built up; here is a quick solution for recovering lost trust:

·      Act quickly.

·      Be candid.

·      Accept responsibility.

·      Apologise.

·      Outline a remedy.

·      Don’t blame.

Management and TeamsRussell FutcherHow to build Trust