How to build TRUST at work

All of this can be achieved in less than two hours. It opens up and uncovers strengths, gaps, misunderstandings and unity at the core, deepening the foundations of trust. A great way to build trust is to first have the team gather together and define what the word "TRUST" means to them. Have the team list the observable behaviors that will demonstrate that they are trusting each other. This simple exercise alone opens up the eyes of everyone to see that most define it differently, and once all agree on how trust looks for the team, we can hold each other accountable for those behaviors.?

The pace of change, demand for services and global operating arena combine to unintentionally drive organizations into silos for quicker response on targeted results. To break out of a narrow focus, we must build organizational empathy by working on our problems from a completely different frame of reference. Simply switch your starting point to increase understanding and connections across work.

A lack of trust results from not knowing enough about the other team and its role in contributing to the big picture. Try this exercise. Have members of both teams ask these questions of each other: “What do we do really well for you? What could we improve upon? And how does our work impact you?” Not only do members come to better appreciate what they do for each other, but they can also see the connectedness.

Trust is realized when people authentically and deeply understand each others motivators. Gather the team and ask them to write down five things that motivate them at home, at work and recreationally. Ask employees to share their motivators, then ask, "How might you maximize your motivators to create trust?" Create space for productive dialogue. The results will be exponential.

Awareness is the first step to address siloed work and staff differences among your teams. Assumptions can emerge quickly and misperceptions can grow, so trust can erode. One activity that can help turn around this scenario is to create cross functional interlocked teams that meet on a regular basis to share updates, pose challenges to solve together, increase communications and build empathy for each another.