Team leaders — this one’s for you.
Leading together with a team of people can be incredibly rewarding, powerful, and … hard as hell.
If you’ve been leading on a team long enough, no doubt you’ve had your ups and downs and twists and turns.
And all the research shows us that there’s one key ingredient that’s there when things are good and lacking when it’s not …
Trust.
When you and your teammates can really rely on each other … say what’s on your mind … navigate tough situations without damaging your bond? Sky’s the limit.
But when you start questioning whether people will stay true to their word, and pull back rather than lean into each other? The incredibly important work you do suffers.
If trust has gotten a bit wobbly on your team - you are not alone (believe me!), and I got you with today’s blog post.
Inspired by the words of Dr. Brene Brown, “Trust is not built in big sweeping moments. It’s built in tiny moments every day”…
Here are 12 super simple and small things you can do to strengthen trust in your work relationships and on your team…
1. Start your next team meeting with a brief check-in. Invite everyone to share one or two words about how they’re doing, really. No need to resolve or “fix” the tough stuff that people may bring in with them - just receive it with empathy, support, and non-judgment.
2. Check on each other. If someone shares that they’re struggling - whether that struggle is professional or personal - reach out and ask if and how you might be able to support them.
3. Slow down when making commitments. Before you jump to, “sure, I can get that to you by tomorrow!” (🙋🏻♀️ ) take a moment to think about a realistic timeframe that isn’t going to stress you out. Normalize saying, “hey, let me check my workload for the week and let you know when I can get that done.”
4. For those times when you overcommit, or everything on your to-do list takes 5x longer than expected, reach out - ideally before a deadline has passed - to let someone know you’re running behind on the task. Consider the impact this delay may have on them and address it appropriately (apologize, call to talk it through, etc…)
5. Schedule a coffee, lunch, or Zoom date with a teammate and DON’T TALK SHOP. COVID has killed those casual before and after-the-meeting chit-chats that build connection, understanding, and light-heartedness that all teams need.
6. Practice saying “no” or “not now” more.
“I’m sorry, but my plate is totally full this week, and I don’t have the bandwidth to take that on. If you could still use some help next week, let me know. I could turn to it on Tuesday.”
“I really appreciate you thinking of me for this project, and while I would love to work with you on it, it’s not feasible for me to take on another big commitment right now. If you want to chat for 5 minutes to brainstorm other people on the team who may be able to help, let me know!
7. Accept no or not now from others on the team. Period.
8. When people open up and share personal information with you (even of the professional variety), hold their confidence. Brene Brown refers to this one as “the vault” and it’s a biggie. It’s hard to bounce back from betrayed confidence. If you’re wondering if they’d prefer you to keep it between the two of you, check.
9. As my wise colleague Tiffany Quivers says, “take it to the source!” Gossipping and triangulation kill trust on a team - fast. If you’ve got an issue with someone or their work, take it directly to them rather than discussing it with another member of the team.
10. Be present and focused in your team meetings and one-one-ones. Minimize ALL THE THINGS, turn your phone to “do not disturb,” and show people you care by giving them your full attention.
11. If someone on the team does something that shakes your trust in them, give them direct and specific feedback (e.g. “when you moved forward with that project without involving me), tell them how it impacted you (e.g. “it made me feel like you don’t value me and my team’s expertise) and then get curious about how it looked from their perspective (e.g. “what led you to move forward without us?”)
12. Receive feedback from others with openness and kindness. Even if it hurts initially, take the time you need to process, and circle back to them and acknowledge the risk it took to deliver that feedback.
Now, I’d love to hear from you! What are the little things you’ve done that have had a big impact on trust in your relationships and on your teams? Let us know in the comments section below!
Jen xo
