Looking to build trust with your team? Here’s what NOT to do courtesy of Jason Voorhees.

It comes as no shock to any of us that trust is a huge component of having solid relationships, being an effective leader and being a part of a successful team. But as crucial as it is, many of us don’t give it the focus and effort it deserves. A lot of people think trust either exists or it doesn’t. Thankfully, it’s a little more complicated than that. Trust is something that can be mindfully built and tended to with effort. This Friday the 13th, let’s look to Jason Voorhees to give you ideas on trust building with those on your team. Cutting to the chase, don’t want your team to trust you? Lead like Jason.

Never communicate. There’s no doubt that Jason is the epitome of the strong, silent type. Mind you, he’s not verbal in any of the films but I bet he thinks he is effectively communicating with his actions. (I don’t want you at Camp Crystal Lake. Or breathing in general for that matter) So many of us feel we do communicate, when in fact, our teams feel like we keep them in the dark. If you want your people to walk on eggshells, spend a ton of time guessing and feeling stressed, remain silent. Don’t tell them what is going on within the organization, don’t tell them about how their behaviors impact the business or anything else for that matter. That’s a recipe for low engagement if I’ve ever seen one. When all else fails, if it feels like you’re communicating too frequently, it’s probably just scratching the surface. When it comes to trust, if you’re not communicating regularly, your team will fill in the blanks and unfortunately won’t always assume the best. 

Behave inconsistently. Jason shows up whenever, disappears whenever and doesn’t always follow the same process or use the same methods. Now, you don’t need to do the same thing all day every day, but if your behavior is inconsistent at all times, you are stressing your team out. They are wasting more time concerned about what you will or won’t do next than focusing on getting their work done and done well. Consistency and innovation exist in the same space. You can push boundaries and try new approaches while still showing up for your team. Doing what you say you’ll do and keeping promises goes a very long way when building trust. 

Do everything yourself. If you want a job done right...complete that thought. And then think about how that makes your team feel. The team who wants nothing more than to learn and grow. A surefire way to leave them wanting more is to micromanage or not even bother delegating in the first place. Jason could really benefit from asking himself, “Does this really need to be me? Might I be able to delegate this murder to someone else on my team?” The fact of the matter is, if you continue to hold onto everything, you’re not only hindering the growth of your employees but also your own. How can you take on more if you refuse to let go of anything you’re currently working on? I’m a fan of the must/could/can’t approach. Take a look at your to do list. And every single thing on it must be put into a category. It must be delegated. It could be delegated. Or it can’t be delegated. There needs to be a healthy mix of those three on your list. If you designate everything as a “can’t” you’ll be setting yourself and your team up for failure. And the only thing they’ll trust is that you don’t ever offer them new challenges. 

Make them feel replaceable. Here’s the thing, Jason doesn’t care about the staff (or anyone else for that matter.) They are just numbers to him. A roadblock to get rid of. And they feel that, quite painfully in this case. If you want your team to trust you, they need to hear that they matter. They need recognition on a very regular basis of what they are doing well, the type of impact they are having and how much you appreciate them being a part of your team and the organization. The quickest way to end someone’s excitement about work is to make it evident to them that they aren’t making a difference or make them feel like they aren’t bringing anything special to the table. Talk about a trust killer. 

Trust is one of those things. It takes time and effort and is built in small instances over time but can be decimated in an instant if we’re not careful. We can’t always be in control of everything but we can ensure no one will trust us if we’re not trying to connect with them and offer opportunities for growth. This Friday the 13th, take a step back and dedicate time to think through how you’ll focus on building trust going forward. It will work wonders.