Trust, the foundation of high performing teams

Patrick Lencioni is famous for his focus on trust as the foundation of high performing teams, and his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a much-loved reference for leaders around the world [1]. In his book, he tells the story of an individual promoted into a leadership role, and the challenges faced in uncovering the dysfunctional behaviour in the team, as well as the shared triumph experienced in applying the concepts of his model to turn the team around. I have enjoyed applying Lencioni’s concepts in team development, and have found it to be a helpful guide for recognising and supporting opportunities for growth.

Throughout my experiences in the leadership roles I have held over the years, I have continued to focus on the development of trust within a team as a cornerstone of developing high performance. In doing so though, I have considered the concept of trust at a deeper level, starting with inward reflection about my own self-trust to perform my role as a leader to the best of my ability, and to trust that it will be safe to ask for help where it’s needed. This self-trust has been necessary to develop a level of comfort with vulnerability – to call it when things aren’t working, and to look to others to share their thoughts about what the issues might be, and what we could do to consider solutions. This has required a broader level of trust across the organisation, one which makes it safe for people to speak up, to shine the light on improvements that can be made, and to create an environment where it is safe to experiment (which means that things might go wrong, and that leaders need to respond in a supportive way that looks for opportunities to pivot and learn).

Developing trusting relationships between individuals and across teams can be fostered by a shared understanding of individuals values, by getting to know one another’s stories, individual preferences for communication styles and insights into what ‘triggers’ each member of the team. Making a commitment to support one another, taking a perspective that each member of the team is coming from a place of good intent, and a belief that a teams’ success is driven by shared accountability (a ‘we all cross the finish line together’ approach) takes deliberate effort, ongoing reflection, and an openness to give and receive feedback, all of which are founded in trust being at the core.

Trust an element of leadership that requires constant focus. Leaders need to purposefully look for opportunities to build and demonstrate it if they have any hope of creating an engaged and high performing team. For trust to be genuine, an authentic leadership impact is one worth deliberately striving for.

If you’re interested in discussing further, or would like to explore how I could support you and your team in building trust, I’d love to hear from you.

[1] Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team : a leadership fable (1st ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.