7 Ways to Build Trust in a Team

A solid team is built on trust and mutual respect. How do you, as a leader, lay the foundation? Here are seven ways to build trust in your team.

1. Be Vulnerable without Fear

A large part of being a leader is setting an example. To build trust in a team, you have to prove yourself trustworthy. Acknowledging your own weaknesses is already part of building a strong team. You want to hire people whose strengths compensate for your shortcomings.

To be vulnerable without fear shows your people that you’re human, like them. It also gives them a sense of value and purpose. If you have the guts to admit your failures and share your thoughts without hindrance, your team will likely emulate that with each other as well.

2. Create a Safe Haven

In the workplace it’s easy to feel like just another part of the machine. Treat your people like human beings. Moreover, encourage them to do the same with each other. Each team member has their own thoughts and feelings, and they need to feel it’s safe to express them.

One key way to create a safe haven is to have zero tolerance for gossip. It’s okay to be competitive on a team, but it’s never okay to belittle one another, including behind the back. You can’t build trust under those conditions.

Another thing you can do is set clear expectations. Define success and how your team will measure it. There’s safety in knowing what’s expected of you. Also, having a shared goal goes a long way towards a sense of security. Feeling safe and cared for is fundamental to building trust in your team. Clear expectations and shared goals are key components of that.

3. Listen Before Speaking

Teams are effectively relationships. In any relationship, it’s important for each person to feel heard and understood. Being unheard or, worse, ignored creates a lonely island of one.

Be an effective listener by focusing on what’s being said rather than thinking about what you’ll say next. An important element of strong listening is affirming through feedback. When in doubt, tell the person what you understand them to mean, and ask for confirmation. For instance, you might say, “It sounds like you need more time. Is that right?”

Another element of this principle is providing opportunities for input. Hyper-rationalization is a common saboteur, because human beings aren’t strictly rational. To build trust, you’ll want to listen to your people and show empathy rather than spouting out answers and corrective demands. The growth mindset is founded on curiosity, while a fixed mindset is often a pitfall.

4. Be Supportive

Make your team members feel like key parts of the organization. By extension, make them feel like your team or department is vital to the business. From an organizational perspective, it’s all too common for one team to be treated as more important than others. For example, sales teams are often given more praise and recognition than those in other departments.

Another key part of being supportive is recognizing long term goals. Your people may have higher aspirations than their current role. Embrace that and be a mentor.

5. Accept Blame

Undesirable outcomes are inevitable. As leader, accept the blame. Never throw team members under the proverbial bus in order to save face.

This isn’t just about martyrdom. When you take the blame for your team’s shortcomings, it sets an example for them to follow. Instead of looking at what others could have done differently, each team member should look inward. You set the example for that.

6. Give Praise

It’s easy to see faults and areas in need of improvement. As a leader, identifying these in your team is important. Equally important, however, is finding things to praise.

Every team member needs to feel appreciated for hard work and good ideas. Giving praise for their achievements or even just their dedication goes a long way towards building trust. It shows that you notice the good that they do, while encouraging them to notice the same in others.

7. Value Everyone

Your people each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Finding value in their strengths is part of building a strong team. More importantly, showing that you value those strengths is vital to sustaining success.

Sometimes it’s easier to see strengths in some than others. Strive to find value in each of your team members, and help them to build on their strengths. Going back to vulnerability, make sure they know that everyone has weaknesses, and that each team member makes the others stronger.

Summing Up

Leadership is more than just directing people. To get the most out of your team, you want to set an example. Showing in conjunction with telling gives your people a template to follow.

Likewise, building trust is more than the occasional trust exercise. It’s about creating an environment where team members feel comfortably seen and heard. When people feel safe and appreciated, you’ll get the best from them.

If you want to take your leadership to the next level, let me know. Coach4Execs has the tools to help you achieve new growth and exceed your own expectations. Find out what a little executive coaching can do for you!

Georganne Goldblum,
CEO of Coach4Execs