Common Challenges: Trying to Build Trust Within Your Team

‘Trust’ is one of those buzzwords that can mean many things, depending on the context. The definition of trust used by Patrick Lencioni in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is the notion that you have confidence that your co-workers have your best interests at heart. No one is out to get you, just waiting for you to screw up.

Having a safe space within your team and having a culture of trust is the fastest way to build strong relationships. The problem is that that level of trust is hard to come by today. That kind of trust is not common enough in today’s workplace. Some leaders often struggle to build trust within their teams, while others don’t even realize the importance of trust in a company. From the leadership team to the employees, trust issues can cause rifts throughout the department that can have long term negative impacts.

However, Patrick Lencioni said, “…facing dysfunction and focusing on teamwork is particularly critical at the top of an organization because the executive team sets the tone for how all employees work with one another.” To build trust in the workplace, you have to own up to your mistakes, be transparent, and communicate with your team. You don’t build trust overnight, you work at it and create strong ties to develop that dynamic.

Critical Questions to Ask Before Organizing a Team Building Activity.

You always want to go into a situation armed with all the information necessary to fix any issues the first time. So when I’m working with clients on team-building programs, I always ask, “What is going on with your team that makes this program timely for you?” “Is there an immediate issue you want this program to address?” Questions like these let me know what aspect to focus on as a problem area. It also gives me a better idea of what skills may be lacking to suggest the right team building program. At times, this tactic also helps the client to acknowledge the issues within their teams. When the client acknowledges this, we’re able to come to an understanding and work toward one common goal.

When clients answer about any focal points for the team building programs, the answers can vary quite broadly. Sometimes a group is just looking to have fun together. May they want a break from a long meeting and want to give back to the community with a charity event. But other times, the team building program can be for a more serious reason. There could possibly be challenges with trust lurking beneath the surface and creating rifts behind the scenes. 

When trust is lacking at work, it becomes even more difficult to build trust and makes us unwilling to be vulnerable. We stop asking for help or assistance from our peers and will seldom admit to our mistakes and shortcomings. We become less invested in the team and more likely to build harmful silos. When this happens, it can cause a rift in the team. Rather than seeking ways to use each other’s strengths, we may become isolated and the entire team suffers. It becomes even more difficult to build trust

Good Leadership Is the Key to building trust in the Workplace.

Consider Lencioni’s definition of trust. Now think about your current situation with your current team. Think about the problems you see and the places you lack trust. Then, honestly ask yourself these questions. 

• Do you trust your co-workers? 

• Can you admit weaknesses and mistakes without fear that they’ll be used against you? 

• Is it possible for you to build trust at work?

If the answer is ‘yes’, then good for you! You have the ability, the acknowledgement, and the team to build trust and be successful.

However, if the answer is ‘no’, then here’s a challenge for you. Is there something that you might be doing that contributes to that atmosphere? You can’t control how others behave or how they interact with the team. However, you do have 100% control over how you behave and whether you’re receptive to building trust. Are you displaying signs of being dismissive or reluctant to partake in team meetings and activities? These may be small ways in which you are signaling to your co-workers that you don’t trust them or that you are not trustworthy? Take a minute to think about it and reflect on yourself. Then commit to doing one thing this week that will help build trust in your workplace. The more you put in effort, other team members will begin to acknowledge that and will possibly mirror your actions. Good luck!