How Understanding Team Strengths Build Trust.

• How is trust defined?
• What are the four essential factors of trust?
• How team strengths foster trust.

Strengths, as the cornerstone of a strengths-based approach, inherently focus on capabilities and competencies. This approach not only reveals how team members think, feel, and behave but also highlights their specific abilities and talents, which directly contribute to team success. However, how does this process contribute to the building of trust? To grasp how a strengths-based team cultivates trust, it's essential to begin by comprehending what trust entails, how it's defined, and the various dimensions through which it can be defined.

How is trust defined?

In the brilliant book "The Four Factors of Trust" authored by Ashley Reichheld in collaboration with Amelia Dunlop, the pivotal role of trust in creating a competitive edge within a team is thoroughly explored. Grounded in new and data-driven insights, this book offers invaluable guidance on quantifying and nurturing trust in the most crucial relationships, including those with customers, the workforce, and partners. It underscores how trust serves as a fundamental foundation for achieving success in various spheres of business and highlights practical strategies for cultivating and sustaining trust in these critical areas.?

The authors discovered that trust can be distilled into four essential factors: Humanity, Capability, Transparency, and Reliability. These four elements constitute the core components that underpin trust in various relationships and contexts, providing a simplified yet comprehensive framework for understanding and fostering trust.

According to "The Four Factors of Trust" trust is defined as the following: "Trust is the promise of a meaningful, mutually beneficial relationship between two or more people."

According to "The Four Factors of Trust" trust is defined as the following: "Trust is the promise of a meaningful, mutually beneficial relationship between two or more people." *Reichheld, A. (2022). The four factors of trust: How Organizations Can Earn Lifelong Loyalty. John Wiley & Sons.

Having a framework to understand trust and the ability to define it is undeniably valuable. However, it becomes even more beneficial when we can establish a clear path or lay the foundation for a culture of trust to flourish. This is precisely where the emphasis on strengths becomes essential for both leadership and teams. But what exactly does a strengths-based approach entail, and how does it contribute to the cultivation of trust?

Strengths Are Inherently Focused On Capabilities.

A strengths-based approach places a strong emphasis on capabilities and competencies. It not only illuminates how team members think, feel, and behave but also underscores the specific abilities and talents they bring to the table, directly contributing to team success. Being focused on strengths helps team members to see team members at their best and eliminates barrier labels that may hinder team trust. More importantly according to Gallup, one defining factor of strengths is for a person to act with consistent, near-perfect performance in a particular domain. Already a foundation of trust emerges as it takes into account our humanity, when those around us understand us, it enables transparency, provides an understanding of team member capability, and helps us to understand who we can rely upon to be effective in different domains.?

A Tool to Help You to Reveal Team Strengths.

Undoubtedly, one of the most impactful tools I've encountered for embarking on the journey of understanding your team's strengths is the CliftonStrengths assessment, previously recognized as StrengthsFinder. This assessment was meticulously designed by Don Clifton, a visionary leader driven by an unwavering passion to empower individuals to not only grasp their distinctiveness but also unveil their highest levels of performance.

CliftonStrengths was formulated through the collection of research from two million interviews with top performers, aiming to identify the specific traits that contribute to their success. From this extensive data pool, Gallup distilled over 5,000 items down to 177 indicators of strengths, which were further organized into 34 distinct talent themes or strengths. The CliftonStrengths Assessment emerged as the culmination of this comprehensive study and has since been administered to over 29 million individuals. Remarkably, it finds application in more than 90% of Fortune 500 companies and is key in discovering your team's strengths.?

By employing the CliftonStrengths assessment as a foundational tool for uncovering team strengths, alongside team coaching and strengths introduction workshops, teams can effectively pinpoint not only their individual strengths but also the strengths of their colleagues. It's crucial to seek the assistance of certified CliftonStrengths coaches, as they possess highly specialized skills to guide and support teams in gaining a profound understanding of their strengths.?

Using Team Strengths to Build Trust.

Using the four factors of trust outlined in "The Four Factors of Trust" book, we will now examine how a strengths approach may contribute to laying the foundation of trust within a team, beginning with:

Humanity

In the book "The Four Factors of Trust" humanity is described as: "Humanity entails individuals or organizations demonstrating empathy and kindness towards their customers and other stakeholders, ensuring equitable treatment for all."**

**Reichheld, A. (2022). The four factors of trust: How Organizations Can Earn Lifelong Loyalty. John Wiley & Sons.

In the book "The Four Factors of Trust" humanity is described as: "Humanity entails individuals or organizations demonstrating empathy and kindness towards their customers and other stakeholders, ensuring equitable treatment for all."**

Strengths when harnessed effectively, enhance the human dimension of team interactions. By understanding and appreciating each team member's unique strengths, individuals can relate to one another on a deeper level. This recognition of strengths fosters empathy, respect, and a genuine sense of connection, all of which are essential components of the Humanity factor of trust. When team members feel valued for their strengths, they are more likely to trust one another and collaborate more effectively.

Transparency

Transparency signifies that an individual or organization openly shares information, motives, and decisions in clear and straightforward language.***

**Reichheld, A. (2022). The four factors of trust: How Organizations Can Earn Lifelong Loyalty. John Wiley & Sons.

Transparency signifies that an individual or organization openly shares information, motives, and decisions in clear and straightforward language.

CliftonStrengths is a valuable tool to create transparency as it allows team members to create a language of strengths. No one's strengths are the same, but the Cliftonstrengths language helps other team members to grasp other team members' strengths more easily. When the team understands the strengths of other team members it allows for transparency as some talents may be misunderstood even though it is neutral. Improved transparency happens when team members gain a greater appreciation for the decisions and motives of team members, especially can first be seen from a talent perspective.

Capability?

Capability means an individual or an organization delivers quality products, experiences, and services. ***Reichheld, A. (2022). The four factors of trust: How Organizations Can Earn Lifelong Loyalty. John Wiley & Sons.

Capability means an individual or an organization delivers quality products, experiences, and services.

Focusing on team strengths, team members are recognized for their ability to be able to perform certain tasks with talent. This may be relationship building, strategic thinking, executing, and the ability to influence. CliftonStrengths provides a starting point to appreciate the abilities found within a team. Team awareness of ability allows for better delivery as team members best suited for each role are given the opportunity to do what they do best.

Reliability

Reliability means an individual or an organization consistently and dependably delivers upon promises made, time after time.****

****Reichheld, A. (2022). The four factors of trust: How Organizations Can Earn Lifelong Loyalty. John Wiley & Sons.

Reliability means an individual or an organization consistently and dependably delivers upon promises made, time after time.

Again according to Gallup's research one of the key indicators of a strength is the ability to perform a certain task or role with consistent, near-perfect performance.***** Another indicator of strength is rapid learning and being energized by these activities. Appreciating and having an understanding of the talent resource within a team allows the team to rely on this consistent, near-perfect performance enabling team members to deliver to each other on promises made, but also being able to deliver on client commitments, may it be in the strategic thinking, executing, relationship building or influencing domains.

*****Clifton, D.O., & Harter, J.K. (2003). Investing in Strengths. In A. K.S. Cameron, B. J.E. Dutton, & C. R.E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline (pp. 111-121). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Strengths: The Stepping Stone Toward Building Team Trust.

Give your team the greatest gift possible by helping them feel appreciated for their strengths.

Emphasizing your team's strengths serves as the optimal launching pad for building trust. It spans the entire spectrum of trust by empowering your team to not only comprehend their individual strengths but also the collective strengths of the team. This comprehensive understanding encompasses how each team member thinks, feels, and behaves, and, critically, how they excel in their respective capacities. A strengths-focused approach opens the door to the human aspect within your team, fostering transparency and cultivating a profound awareness of each team member's capabilities. It establishes an environment where team members can confidently rely on each other to work together effectively. Give your team the greatest gift possible by helping them feel appreciated for their strengths.