How to Build a Culture of Comfort to Get the Best from your Team

With more than 25 years leading and developing high-performing teams, I’ve learned how to create a strong team culture that encourages meaningful relationships and impactful results. This first article focuses on how to build that team culture. I love hearing and learning from others, so please let me know in the comments if any of these tips resonate with you and/or if you have any to add.

Throughout my time at Deloitte, I’ve been fortunate to have played a role in building some pretty amazing teams. And one of the best compliments someone can give me is that they loved being on my team—not just because the work was exciting or the team was successful, but because the experience was meaningful to them professionally and personally.

I was recently asked about how I foster and maintain a meaningful team experience, and it really got me thinking. So much of it comes naturally after working with teams for decades, but I think my approach to cultivating a culture of comfort is what sets my teams apart.?

That might sound odd, given how much we talk about wanting to push past our comfort zones and think outside the box. But being comfortable in your work and ideas is very different than being comfortable on a team. I would argue that the latter is required to push past the former!

What does a culture of comfort mean??

To me, a culture of comfort means that people know they can share their honest opinion without anyone thinking less of them or they can take a risk by providing a perspective that might not be popular. It’s when team members feel like they know their leader and the leader knows them. It’s a group meeting where everyone speaks up, people feel comfortable pushing back on ideas, and all opinions are equally heard and valued.

When you have this type of environment, you unlock more creativity and innovation, because people aren’t afraid to share off-the-wall ideas. You come up with better, smarter solutions, because everyone chimes in with their thoughts and helps pressure-test ideas, honing solutions to their best possible form. And you do great work, because you respect and show up for each other—we are all more likely to jump in, go the extra mile, or put in some extra work for people we care about.

So, for me, a culture of comfort is the key to everything else. It is inclusion as a practice. But that type of culture doesn’t just happen. You must intentionally build it.?

There are five key aspects to building a team culture of comfort:

1. Get to know your team individually
2. Build trust over time—it takes discipline
3. Recognize there is a reason they are in the room
4. Treat everyone as equals, regardless of role
5. Express gratitude constantly

Get to know your team individually

We don’t typically feel comfortable with the unknown, so one of the first steps to building a culture of comfort within your team is to get to know them. Carve out time to meet individually with each team member. Ask them about their work, family, personal interests, and aspirations. Find out what they think, what they need, and what they want. The more you know them, the more invested you become in their careers and lives—and they can see that!?

I believe in always having an open door. Teamwork isn’t a one-way street. My colleagues know they can come to me at any time, and I will gladly share more about what I know, what I’m working on, and what I’m thinking about. My goal is never to be seen as only a colleague or leader—but to also be seen as a friend and trusted confidante.

Build trust over time

Getting to know your team members is so important, but it isn’t just a one-time activity that happens when you establish a new team. You need to invest time in regular one-on-one meetings or calls to make them feel heard, valued, and supported on an ongoing basis. As they share things with you, you can help address some of those wants and needs to demonstrate that you truly care about them as well as their individual goals.

For example, in getting to know one of my colleagues, I learned one of their family members had a health issue. In our conversations over time, I followed up and asked about their family member. This ongoing openness meant the person felt comfortable telling me when the health issue became worse and was causing them stress. We were able to shift around some responsibilities and schedules so they could have more time to help their family member. If the person hadn’t felt comfortable sharing their situation with me—because they didn’t feel like they knew or trusted me—I wouldn’t have known to help, and they would have faced a larger burden that negatively impacted their work experience and well-being.?

Recognize there is a reason they are in the room

One of the things I always try to remember is that everyone is on the team for a reason. Each member has their own unique strengths and experiences—and each has areas that they’re still growing in or working on. While development is an important part of being a leader, it’s critical to understand you’re trying to help people grow into the best version of themselves, not change them into something they’re not. A team only becomes stronger because of all those differences.

Treat everyone as equals, regardless of role

A key factor when building trust that’s often overlooked is fairness. If your team feels like you prioritize one person’s ideas over another’s or thinks that you turn to the same few people for advice, it’s going to make it hard for them to trust you or feel comfortable opening up.?

Practicing fairness is about being conscious of team conversations and helping to guide it in a way that everyone can speak. It could be as simple as directly asking certain people who have been quieter, but it can also mean giving everyone enough time and resources to prep for the meeting so they feel more comfortable sharing. Another option may be providing alternative ways to share feedback or ideas if team members are more introverted, like through virtual whiteboarding or on Teams chat.

It may come more naturally if, like I discussed above, you make time to connect with your teammates regularly on a one-on-one basis. This gives you the opportunity to hear from everyone, ensuring you’re getting input from each team member and not just the loudest voices in the room.

Express gratitude constantly

Gratitude is often mentioned as something that’s important for leaders to practice, but it’s also something that’s important for the whole team. If you want to build a culture where people feel valued and respected, you need to show them—and expressing your gratitude is an easy way to do so.

Gratitude is always helpful when you’re trying to brainstorm or innovate. If you want to create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing ideas, most advice focuses on ensuring your team feels there will be no negative backlash for taking a risk. But on the flip side, you can also create positive reinforcement by thanking people for their willingness to share and recognizing when your team pushes the boundaries or tries something new.?

I have been very deliberate about doing this with my teams throughout the years. By taking a moment to recognize someone’s contribution and thank them for it, it helps encourage more of the same behavior. It also helps generate more engagement. People are more likely to participate when they know their contributions are appreciated. I would encourage you to intentionally include moments of gratitude in your next brainstorm or team discussion and see what happens. It may just surprise you.?

What a culture of comfort looks like

The goal is to create a team culture that is authentic, trusting, inclusive, fair, and grateful. I always strive to get to a place with my teams where they can speak openly and honestly with the entire team, they can take risks and make mistakes, and they can confide in or discuss sensitive subjects with me.?

For example, I was once on a text thread with some team members and the conversation turned to a more heated topic about a recent leadership decision. Instead of taking the conversation elsewhere, the team felt comfortable continuing in the same chain, knowing I was on it. That showed me they trusted me and knew I had their backs.

Why is building a culture of comfort so important? When team members are empowered to be their authentic selves without fear of rejection, it leads to an increase in collaboration, an uptick in innovative solutioning, and a greater ability to challenge each other in a productive way. It leads to meaningful relationships and impactful results. It leads to our best work—as individuals and as a team. It is real inclusion.

I would encourage you to take some time and think about your team’s culture. Do you currently have a culture of comfort? If not, how can you use some of the tactics above to help build one? It takes some time and intention, but it pays dividends in both the work outcome and team member experience.