Without trust no team can be truly successful.
Trust is not only showing up on time, but being able to be vulnerable, to be open, to take risks and strive for greatness.
There are two kinds of trust
Common Trust — Which is the basic trust we have for someone. This is the trust that someone will show up when they say they will. To do their job, or not spread rumors. The trust we have for other drivers, that will not cross the center line and hit us. It is a basic society trust that is usually given easily to a team member. Without this basic trust it is difficult for a team or company to operate.
Vulnerability trust — This is a much deeper confidence that you can be vulnerable with team mates. A belief that you can take risks, ask for help, admit mistakes, without being ridiculed or embarrassed. A trust that you can hold others accountable and they can hold you accountable without the threat of retaliation or resentment. Its that openness to know that when someone sees things differently than you it is for the good of the team and it’s vision. Vulnerability trust is the trust that allows people to take risks for the betterment of the team. It’s the trust that puts aside personal agendas and benefits the outcome the team is striving for.
So why is Vulnerability trust so important?
In his book “The Five Dysfunctions of Teams” Patrick Lencioni talks about trust as being the foundation from which a team grows.
When there is an absence of trust team members have a fear of conflict. Without healthy conflict team members will not voice their ideas and opinions. The risk of reprisal is too great. “someone will tell me I’m stupid or its a dumb idea”, starts to play in people’s minds.
Fear of Conflict leads to lack of commitment. When people are scared to voice their opinions they will not wholeheartedly buy into what is decided on. Team members must be heard, especially if they disagree, before they can lock step together on an idea. In most cases someone who disagrees will still commitment as long as they know that the were heard and respected,
Lack of Commitment leads to avoidance of accountability. Team members adapt an attitude of why should I say anything, I knew it would fail anyway. This avoidance of accountability then leads to inattention of results. If you don’t care about the team or the project, you will hardly care about the results. You may even be happy someone failed. None of this is healthy for a team.
So if all this is unhealthy for a team that wants to succeed, how to you build true vulnerability trust?
- Cast the vision.
— Tell the what you are about as a team.
- Tell the why and the how.
- What are the teams goals and what are everyone’s role in the vision.
2. Get to know each other not just professionally but personally
- What are their dreams? What do they like to do in their off time? What are their families like?
- Take a DISC personality profile — start to understand what each other needs as far as communication. What makes them tick as a person
- What do they truly value. We are all different and value different things. Take a core Values Assessment
3. Be vulnerable first
- As a leader you must be lead.
- Ask for their feedback of your performance as a leader.
- Ask how you can help them
4. Give feedback openly and often
- People need to know if they are in line with the goals and vision.
- When giving tough feedback, keep the issue the issue. If someone is not doing something right, remind them of the vision and goals, not them personally.
- Recast the vision and how everyone fits into it.
5. Listen with more than your ears.
- Be aware of others body language when they are speaking. Try to hear what they are truly saying. This message usually doesn’t come from the words they speak but the words they don’t speak. It comes from small clues they are giving. They might not even be aware of what they are trying to tell you.
- Listen with your heart. Remember your team is made up of people. People that have families, bills, fears, dreams. Treat others the way you would want to be treated.
6. Celebrate the wins
- Your team needs to know when they are doing well. Take time to celebrate not only the big win of accomplishing the task, but the little successes along the way
If you want a team that is truly successful. A team that is not only doing day to day tasks, but growing and striving, build trust. Build a culture of trust and commitment, where team members feel respected, and you are well on your way.
If your team struggles with trust we have a few tools to help. Click here and we will send you a core values assessment . It is a simple, easy to use tools that will start you and your team on a path of Vulnerability based trust and success.
