The one action that will catapult your team’s trust level to new heights

"On a team, trust is all about vulnerability, which is difficult for most people." - Patrick Lencioni

Are you the type of leader that believes being vulnerable is a sign of weakness? That admitting a mistake will harm your career chances? That asking for help will be perceived as not being up to the challenge of your job? Let me share?an anecdote with you.?

A while ago, in my previous career, I found myself in the R&D offices. As a supply chain planner, I worked closely with them. That day, the VP of Marketing was visiting. Just weeks before, I’d heard him mention “humble leadership” as his personal style. As impressed as I was by him, I honestly assumed it was the kind of thing a top manager would say but then fail to demonstrate. After all, this was an American company where problems were called issues?and failures?were not always dealt with head-on.?

Time for his speech. I could not believe my ears. The first thing he did was admitting a mistake. He explained how he had misjudged a situation and took the wrong decision. He then shared what he’d learned from it. It gave me goosebumps. I rarely?felt more motivated in all my years at the company. His message? Mistakes are ok. Even more so, they were a sign of taking risks which is?crucial for success. Not everything will work out — and that’s ok. We’ll learn the lessons and improve next time.?

This moment remains my go-to example when I talk about trust, especially in the context of Lencioni’s pyramid of cohesive teams. His key message is: nothing builds trust like a leader who’s willing to be vulnerable — to admit mistakes and failures, not to assign blame, but to learn and improve. Willing to ask for help, listening to others’ opinions. This will create the safe space you want in your team that will make them speak up and share their opinions, even if they may not be popular.?

Call to action

Time for you to take a first step towards vulnerability? Curious to learn how you will put this into practice!?

Enjoy your leadership journey,

Chris ?

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