Trusting Teams

One of the most important things in leadership is trust. Establishing this is critical, especially if you have the responsibility in looking after teams. Here are some of my quick thoughts.

I just finished a great book by Simon Sinek, the third in his series called "The Infinite Game". There's a whole chapter in there devoted to the topic of 'Trusting Teams', a fascinating read which got me thinking. There's no doubt that when you first start in the workforce one of the most important aspects to develop is trust with your immediate manager. You're young, you want to impress and you want to succeed. But most of all you want your manager to trust you. When he or she asks you to do something you will get it done. And once this happens over and over, an environment of trust develops, greater responsibilities come, and you become a more valued contributor to the team. A leader's job is to try and establish (and grow) this environment of trust with each team member and across a team overall.

But as Sinek talks about, there is a big difference between a group of people who 'work together' and a group of people who 'trust each other'. For teams that 'work together', it's transactional and merely on the surface. Tick the box, and get the job done. Trust is a feeling – you can’t just force someone to trust you or just tell them to trust you. It’s built over time, over a number of instances, and through creating an environment where it’s safe for people to express themselves.

I reflected on this and thought about the many times I've seen leaders just go straight to 'the list' when having discussions with team members. What's happening there? Give me an update on this? How is this going? When will you finish that? There's no doubt there's always a place for this but we must remember, the other side of the fence. For some of the better leaders I have seen, the to do list is often secondary to discussions about how you are going and what is been happening outside of work. There is a genuine interest and desire to care about you as a person which makes you feel safe and secure in speaking up. We're all human beings and naturally having a safe and secure place is important to our well being. This is true at home and at work. And by having this safe place we tend to thrive more so than if we were in an unsafe place.

What happens when you don't have trusting teams? When you don’t have trusting teams, people hide behind personas and that can lead to them never admitting to mistakes for fear of failure, lieing, hiding behind truths and blaming others. You start micro-managing, establish processes and checklist (not to say we don't have a need for these in some instances), and have daily check-ins. Why? Because trust is lacking. Instead of trying to solve the underlying problem you wind up creating even more problems. The other party now feels insecure and has a sense that you're constantly looking over their shoulder, and eventually they could become a demotivated staff member. You can see how quickly the lack of trust can spiral.

Here's what I think are some important aspects in establishing trusting teams:

1. Communication

Whether you manage a big team or small team, this is vital. We're always too busy right? Jumping from one meeting to the next. But taking the time and prioritising 1-1 meetings, team meetings, and skip meetings are an important step in building the right culture in the team. And this is the time when listening becomes oh so important. More importantly it also demonstrates to the team (by your actions) what you value.

2. Honesty

Sometimes, this one can be quite challenging, especially when you have to follow the 'corporate speak' on certain issues. But be honest and forthright, especially in areas such as performance. It's easy to pat people on the back for a job well done, but what happens when they don't do so well? Yes you'll be frustrated and they will know, but don't make them feel even worse than they already do. But do give them your feedback and view it through the lens of a learning opportunity on how to improve. Take the time to understand why it happened and how things can be improved the next time round. They say honesty hurts but in the long run it can be the best thing that happens.

3. Encouragement

All too often leaders think they have the answers to everything. And too often, decisions (rightfully or wrongfully) are made by the HiPPO (a new term I learned the other day that stands for Highest Paid Person in the Organisation). I go by the adage that you surround yourself with people of different skill sets and capabilities that complement yours. Encourage people to share ideas, even on topics they might not be an expert on. Having a different lens to look through can be invaluable. And as a leader, you need to focus as much on making the decision as you do on being a conductor and getting the best out of others in sharing ideas and solving problems together. Sometimes it's the quite one sitting in the corner who has the best idea. Encourage that person to speak up!

4. Fun

We spend more than 40+ hours a week with people at work so it's important to put the 'F' word back in. FUN! You want to enjoy being with the people you work with, especially ones in your own team. So take the time to plan some fun activities with the team every so often. Get the team to come up with a list of ideas. Whether it's planning an off-site day, lunch time yoga, Friday afternoon activities and drinks, nothing beats seeing the smiles and laughter of people in the team. Even during this pandemic, the 'F' word becomes even more important!