Building Trust at Work

Andrew Premvardhan
Jul 21, 2017 · 2 min read

What is trust at work ? It starts with understanding that you are part of a team and it begins with learning to trust others on your team as they will begin to trust you. This does not mean you begin by trusting everyone on the first day , trust evolves over time .

When you first start to build trust with someone start with something that has small impact and low risk, as you progress make sure you always communicate to check in that everything is going well. It is important to understand that trust levels can also ebb and flow depending on the project t a team is working on.

Share Information

You can never gain trust by withholding information . Verify before you share information with others , you build trust by sharing credible information that others can rely on. When you send emails to other don’t cc their superiors , its like virtual arm twisting and definitely doesn’t make the receiving party feel trustworthy. Share information that you know will help others succeed , this helps others avoid information overload and they will come to trust that you send them information that is pertinent to their success. Be upfront about information that cannot be shared your co-workers will respect your sense of integrity. Difficult messages are better delivered face to face and make sure you select your words appropriately — Stop for a moment to think about your last conversation. Would you want what you said to become true for you or someone else you care about?

Be Accountable

Unlike responsibility (the “before”) and self-empowerment (the “during”), personal accountability is the “after”. It’s a willingness to answer for the outcomes of your choices, actions, and behaviors. When you’re personally accountable, you stop assigning blame, “should-ing” on people, and making excuses.

Be accountable for your actions acting like something didn’t happen is like taking a road to nowhere. Mistakes are meant to be learned from and avoided in the future , also share what you learned from your mistakes so that others don’t repeat it.

Listen

Practice “active listening.” This is where you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, try to understand the complete message being sent. Truly understanding what another person is saying helps you connect and build trust , put the phone, gadget, fidget spinner down and pay attention to them. There are few behaviors more powerful in building trust than having someone’s undivided attention . This become more pertinent as you move up the ladder in your organization where your every move is being watched by everyone.

Be Yourself

Finally be yourself , understand your strengths and help others succeed via them , also rely on others in areas that you know they are good at. When you bring the best of yourself to work everyday others will follow and not only trust you but also bring their best selves. People who bring their authentic selves to work are not only happier, they’re much more productive

Andrew Premvardhan
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