Issue 46: Building Trust (Even with Challenging Team Members)

"Trust is earned in the smallest of moments. It is earned not through grand gestures but by paying attention, listening, and showing up."

— Brené Brown, Researcher and Author

Welcome to our Thanksgiving issue!

Let's talk about trust (and gratitude!). As Thanksgiving approaches this week, let’s focus on something foundational to your role as a healthcare leader: trust.

Here’s the truth—trust isn’t just a nice-to-have. Trust is the backbone of every effective team, especially in high-stakes, fast-paced environments like healthcare. Yet for many nurse and physician leaders, building it feels more like an uphill battle.

Does this sound familiar?

• Team members pushing back on your authority.
• Critical feedback falling on deaf ears.
• Big personalities clashing and derailing progress.

You’re not alone. The challenges of leading healthcare teams can make trust feel elusive. But here’s something to consider—sometimes, it’s not about what you’re doing wrong. It’s about the blind spots—those unseen dynamics getting in the way of the trust you’re working so hard to build.

What Trust Really Takes

Trust isn’t just about perfect communication or saying the right things. It’s about:

• Showing up consistently.
• Leading with empathy.
• Uncovering the bigger picture of what’s really driving resistance or disengagement.

And during Thanksgiving, it’s about something often overlooked but incredibly powerful: gratitude. Gratitude isn’t some empty feel-good gesture; it’s a tool that strengthens trust and creates meaningful connection, even with the most challenging team members.

When trust is missing, here's what it looks like:

• Pushback or resistance: Challenging team members resist initiatives, dismiss feedback, or undermine decisions, causing friction and slowing progress.
• Low engagement: Without trust, some team members withdraw or do the bare minimum, dragging down morale and collaboration.
• Communication breakdowns: Distrust leads to silence or guarded conversations, leaving critical issues unresolved—impacting patient care directly.

Sound familiar? These are often symptoms of underlying blind spots that leaders can’t see on their own.

What You Can Do (Starting This Week):

1. Show gratitude in specific ways Thanksgiving is the perfect time to acknowledge your team’s efforts. Go beyond generic “good jobs.” Recognize specific actions: how someone stepped up during a tough shift or supported a struggling colleague. When you’re specific, it shows you see them, and that builds trust.
2. Be consistent in actions and words Gratitude carries weight when it’s backed by follow-through. If you commit to addressing a concern, make it happen. When your actions match your words, especially with resistant team members, you prove you’re dependable—a key to trust.
3. Listen without judgment Sometimes resistance is a symptom of unspoken frustrations or unmet needs. Make time to actively listen to your team’s concerns. Even if you can’t fix everything immediately, being heard can begin to heal cracks in trust.
4. Lead with empathy and fairness Empathy isn’t about excusing poor behavior—it’s about showing you understand the pressures your team is under. When people feel understood, trust follows.

A Thanksgiving leadership challenge for you...

This week, take a moment to express gratitude to your team in a way that feels meaningful.

• Write a handwritten note to someone who’s made an impact.
• Pull a team member aside for a quick, specific “thank you.”
• Share a team-wide message highlighting small but important wins.

It doesn’t have to be elaborate—just intentional. Small acts of gratitude can create big shifts in trust and connection.

It might feel awkward at the beginning, but your ability to experience and show gratitude will get stronger, just like when you focus on working any other muscle.

Ready to build lasting trust?

Building trust, especially in healthcare leadership, isn’t always easy. But you don’t have to navigate those unseen challenges alone.

Let’s work together to uncover the blind spots holding your team back and build the trust you need for better collaboration, stronger morale, and improved patient care.

I have a free 5-minute leadership assessment you can take right now to help you recognize where your blind spots are.

And if you want to dive in with me personally, schedule a diagnostic session with me, and let’s create a team culture where trust isn’t just a goal—it’s a given.

Next Week's Preview:

Next week, we’ll tackle a related challenge: managing conflict constructively. In high-stress environments like healthcare, conflict is inevitable—but it doesn’t have to break your team.

Until then, focus on gratitude and consistency this week. Trust me, even the smallest actions can start to rebuild trust in ways you didn’t expect.

Wishing you a week filled with gratitude and love,

Asia