We trust people when we are comfortable with how they respond to others and how they do their job. Its is the blending of competence with character. But it isn’t as simple as trusting and not trusting. It is also how much we trust. You see, there are some people we trust a little and only in certain situations. There are other people we trust a lot, any where and any time. The goal on a team is to develop a lot of trust not just a little.
Here are four things that contribute to high trust:
1. High trust means we understand one another’s job and potential contribution. To trust a lot we need to take time to get to know one another.
2. High trust means we accept or approve of someone, even though that person may be very unlike us. It only comes from shared experiences, a sense of mission, and success.
3. High trust means we respect others and show no partiality for one person’s role over that of another. It means we show honor and esteem for the contributions of others.
4. High trust means we listen and respond to one another. Don’t bully and don’t ignore. Neither will get you what you want.
I’ve adapted the following from “The Performance Factor” by Pat MacMillan to show how everything the leader does is critical to building a trusting team. Pat identified six keys to building a high performance team. Each one impacts the amount of trust expressed on a team. What Pat calls cooperation, I call trust.
1.Common purpose provided the reason for trust.
2. Clear roles provide the strategy for trust.
3. Accepted leadership provides the structure for trust.
4. Effective processes provides the methods for trust.
5. Solid relationships provide the climate for trust.
6. Excellent communications provided the means for trust.
What you do as a leader, impacts your team. And it can build the kind of trust others will envy.