Trust

Trust.  How have you successfully achieved this in your workplace?

I’m no expert in human behavior, or in relationships, but I do know what I like.  I like the scenario Bradford and Cohen  describe in their book Managing for Excellence (1982):  “Meeting time will still be needed to hammer out basic agreement on goals and objectives and to build trust among members.  But when those steps have been accomplished, people can speak for each other, and for the group, without creating suspicion.  When new problems and opportunities arise, any member can act quickly, without the time-consuming restriction of first having to check out the solution with the leader or other members" (p. 300).  Sigh.  That sounds terrific, and when you have achieved this with your team, it doesn’t take long to realize it and to reap the benefits.  But not every workplace achieves this high level of trust easily.  Most times, it takes leadership and hard work.  

As leaders, we have many methods to select from to help shape our teams’ health and trust level.  But let’s focus on two obvious choices when it comes to trust. 

One alternative is to blindly trust your teams, colleagues, and others in your workplace from the very beginning until something occurs to decrease that trust. I tend to think of this description of trust as a form of currency with a net value that either increases or decreases depending on transactions with people.  It is a chancy option, but one has to be honest in saying that sometimes things happen that increase trust, or decrease it, and that it really is like a sliding scale. But my main aim here is simply to illustrate that the starting point within this definition is a positive one.  As the leader in this situation, I would declare my trust in everyone until they provide evidence that I shouldn’t have trusted them so wholeheartedly.  

 A second option is to wait patiently until trust is gained, either over time, or over the course of a specific type of event.  This option’s starting point is a bit more tentative – kind of like an open book with blank pages just waiting to be written on.   I often think of this situation to be more similar to relationships in general: wait and see.  As in “real life”, you get to know people in your workplace over time and through the course of a series of events that cause you to work closely together – and at times, with healthy debate. You get to know each other better, learn to appreciate your differences, and can more readily identify when in future circumstances how individual strengths and perspectives might come in handy. 

 Like many other leaders, I used to approach the workplace with the first option in mind and heart, especially with new teams.  Often as the newest member, my choice was to proceed with the utmost trust in my colleagues.  Then, over time, if there were circumstances that shifted that trust down the scale, I’d just adjust my expectations of individual(s) accordingly.   Fortunately, that scale would often find itself eventually sliding back up…but not always.  There were times when I was disappointed. 

Learning more about how teams function and the leader’s role in achieving ‘high performing” teams, I’ve changed my tactics when it comes to something as important as trust.   I no longer approach this important work quality as I did.  These days, I rely on experts on this topic, such as management researchers who’ve examined team dynamics extensively. I have found using ideas described in Bradford and Cohen’s book useful, as well as other strategies.  And I’ve learned to be patient – because sometimes something worth having takes time. 

How have you gained trust in your teams?  Share with me at jbezz@shaw.ca,  and I will post all feedback as it comes in.