There are some office resources that you can’t just order off Amazon: and trust is perhaps the most precious of these. When you’re assembling a team to achieve great things in a short timeframe, you need to know your crew has got your back. And more importantly, they need to know you’ve got them covered, too.
Trust is essential to business and to team-building. Put simply, an employee will not fully commit to a leader who she does not fully trust. She may get the work done, but even the most conscientious individual will be holding back something.
And that lack of trust is reflected in the results your business gets. You’re 2½ times more likely to run a high-revenue business [pdf] if your crew trusts you.
So how can you cultivate that workplace chemistry if ordering it from the internet is off the cards?
You can begin by being open. Involve your team in your decisions – particularly if they directly affect your employees themselves. This process begins as early as the interview stage. Tell potential recruits precisely what you’re looking for.
And when you take them on board, be honest about precisely why you chose them. Every team member should have a thorough, down-to-Earth, but professional on-boarding. Lay out your expectations, your business goals, and your plan. Don’t save up nasty surprises (such as working weekends or lay-offs) as sitting on knowledge like this will eventually cost you the trust of those it affects, and those who witness its effects.
Once your team has a clear idea of how your business functions, and how you want it to function, it is easier to trust them with new responsibilities. And when they feel trusted, your crew will trust you in return. Observe them carefully and generously, and offer new challenges to those you feel are capable of fulfilling them.
Build on these successes and be open about the prospects for advancement. Don’t make false promises about potential promotions or salary hikes for a short-term boost in favor: be realistic and honor your commitments. If your promises fall through by no fault of your own, be honest, be transparent, and take responsibility even if you don’t take the blame.
Don’t forget, though, that your employees aren’t just functionaries in your business; they’re human beings. Particularly when you’re working on a short-term project or need to build trust in a hurry, it can take a ‘next-level’ bonding experience to hasten the process.
Creating trust in these circumstances may require a greater emphasis on social relationships. Be as open as you’re comfortable being about your personal circumstances, without boasting or overstepping boundaries. If you’re working on a round-the-clock, 4-week project – for example – talk about how you plan to wind down after the madness.
Think about opening the project with a social event such as after-work drinks or a dinner so that folk can start to figure out how each other operates. They will hopefully see the human behind the leader, which makes it much easier to commit to trusting you.
There may be no out-of-the-box solution to building workplace trust, but the infographic below offers some effective tips on where to start. Invest in your employees before you invest in stationery and office plants, and the teamwork might just start to make the dream work.
John Cole is a freelance writer at NeoMam Studios. A digital nomad specializing in leadership, digital media, and personal growth topics, his passions include world cinema and biscuits. A native Englishman, he is always on the move, but can most commonly be spotted in the UK, Norway, and the Balkans.
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