Trust in Teams

Trust is a key element in a team’s performance.  Is the glue that binds relationships together and is so essential because it provides a sense of safety. When team members feel safe with each other, they open up, share information, work faster. And they are more willing to accept and expose vulnerabilities. In contrast, when people distrust each other  they will probably fail to have open discussions for the fear that they may lead to a conflict or an embarrassing situation. And open and honest discussions are necessary to get new ideas and to produce high quality and innovative decisions. So trust is not only important at the interpersonal level, it’s also a basic requirement for achieving innovation.

In a business context, what does trust mean for you? You may recall a former positive experience, a time when you were part of a team that worked well:

-What did you and the other team members to create a sense of trust?
-What role did the leader play in that process?
-What were your feelings when you worked in the project?

 What are your trust criteria when working in a team?  

• Loyalty?
• Reliability?
• Competence?
• Expertise?
• Predictability?
• Openness?
• Honesty? 
• Commitment?
• Ethical behaviour?

How can you make them grow?

Think, reflect, and if you have a couple of minutes, let yourself be inspired by this powerful video of the Cirque du Soleil:

Trust is a confusing thing, it seems so simple, but when you try to pin it down, it can be so elusive (…) We expend so much energy watching and calculating, trying to predict, reading signals in people, ready for anything to change suddenly, preparing to be disappointed. So much energy spent …

We talk about trust as something you build, as if it is a structure or a thing, but in that building there seems to be something about letting go. And what it affords us is a luxury. It allows us to stop thinking, to stop worrying that someone won’t catch us if we fall, to stop constantly scanning for inconsistencies, to stop wondering how other people act when they are not in our presence. It allows us to relax a part of our minds so that we can focus on what’s in front of us. And that’s why it’s such a tragedy when it’s broken. A betrayal can make you think of all the other betrayals that are waiting for you (...)

Trust is your relationship to the unknown, what you cannot control, and you can’t control everything. And it’s not all or none. It’s a slow and steady practice of learning about the capacity of the world. And it’s worth it, to keep trying. And it’s not easy.