Alan Ibbotson

Building Trust Among Members of A Team
July 18, 2007

When I asked the question recently to one of our clients - "What's the most important ingredient to you in a working relationship?" The answer came fast, firm, and repeatedly.

"Trust" She said. "Trust, trust trust."

As owners of businesses, it's critical that we trust our people, and it's why we all put so much effort into finding the right people to work with. Most of us will use our own networks of people we trust to find others, who we can trust by association. Our client put a very high value on trust, because her experience had shown that - while an abundance of it doesn't necessarily always mean she won't be let down from time to time, a dearth of trust is a certain kiss of death to any of her working relationships. "You just can't "let go" with someone you don't feel you can trust. " She said.

But what if, despite your careful choices and a feeling of mutual trust between you and your people, those feelings are not replicated between and among themselves? It's very easy to assume that just because you have no issues with your team that they don't have issues with each other..

If you find that there are ongoing conflicts - either subtle or overt, between members of your team, you could very well have trust issues on your hands. The bad news is that it's your job to deal with them. The good news is that ropes, blindfold trust games and public humiliation exercises don't need to be a part of it.

Trust, of course, begins with getting to know people. Their values, their beliefs, their experiences and how those experiences have shaped their perspective on work. None of this can happen without the Number One Trust- builder : self disclosure.

The easiest and best time for people to 'let others in' is when they first start on the job ; they are keen to make a good impression, to make friends at work and to gain the trust of their colleagues. It's human nature to be curious about people, but it's also an unfortunate trait that in the absence of information many will assume the worst of each other. The assumptions alone can break down any thread of trust beginning to build.

So, when people join your team, ease them in by doing something social where everyone can get to know each other a little better. While conventional wisdom might state that this is to help the new recruit, it's usually at least equally beneficial to the rest of the team.

Also, to facilitate teamwork and help build trust, find a way to incorporate trust building discussions into your rmeetings once in a while. Something as simple as everyone sharing "Who I am on my best day" and "Who I am on my worst day" can open up an invigorating discussion that uses self disclosure as the basis for a better understanding of each other, a less earnest view of themselves and a sense of humor about each others annoying little habits. This really helps to build trust among members of a team. Be sure to include yourself in a discussion like this, and always go first so you can set the tone and the expectation. Laughter goes a long way to easing tension between colleagues too, so be prepared to poke a little appropriate fun at yourself and your team so that they feel they can do the same with each other.

Click here for more tips on how to build a team.

Posted by Alan Ibbotson on July 18, 2007 | Comments (0)