Michelle Bakjac* says all high-performing teams are based on trust between the individual members — but it is a quality that is hard to maintain and easily lost.
Trust – you cannot have a healthy relationship without it.
To think about how important trust really is, I am sure all of us can bring to mind a scenario where our trust has been broken.
How do we develop trust in the first place? Can trust that has been broken be rebuilt?
Relationships in the workplace are all important to the productivity of a team.
Without trust, those relationships have no foundation and quickly crumble.
Carthage Buckley is a stress and performance coach with more than 10 years of international experience.
She has made some suggestions on building trust.
Be true to your word and follow through with your actions:
The whole point of building trust is for others to believe you when you say that you will do something.
Keep in mind, however, that part of building trust is to stay away from committing to promises that you are not able to keep.
If you always keep your word, this shows others what you expect and they will be prone to treating you with the same respect and trust.
Learn how to effectively communicate with others:
Poor communication skills are the main reason why relationships break down.
This includes being clear about what you have or have not committed to.
Building trust is not without risk.
It involves allowing others the chance to prove that they are trustworthy and for you, taking the chances to show that you are also trustworthy.
Effective communication is the key because sometimes the message that you send may not be the message that is received.
Remind yourself that it takes time to build and earn trust:
Building trust is a daily commitment.
In order to build trust, make small steps and take on small commitments.
As trust grows, you will be more at ease with making and accepting bigger commitments.
Take time to make decisions and think before acting too quickly:
Only make commitments that you are happy to agree to.
Have the courage to say “no” — even though someone else is disappointed.
If you agree to something and can’t follow through, this would be worse for everyone.
Be clear about what you have on your plate, and also know exactly what you are committed to.
Being organised is a necessary part of building trust.
It enables you to make a clear decision as to whether you take on or decline the requests you may receive.
Value the relationships that you have; don’t take them for granted:
A large part of trust results from consistency.
We tend to have the most trust in people who are there for us consistently through good times and bad.
Develop your team skills and participate openly:
When you take an active part in a team and make contributions, people are more likely to respect and trust you.
It is imperative when building trust within a team to show your willingness to trust others.
Being open and willing to make contributions demonstrates this.
When building trust, it is important to engage.
Always be honest:
The message you convey should always be the truth.
If you are caught out telling a lie, no matter how small, your trustworthiness is diminished.
Help people whenever you can:
Helping another person allows you to experience the indirect benefit of improved trust.
Authentic kindness helps to build trust.
Don’t hide your feelings:
Being open about your emotions can be an effective way to build trust.
If people know that you care, they are more likely to trust you.
Acknowledging your feelings, learning the lessons that prevail and taking productive action, means you don’t deny reality.
Don’t always self-promote:
Recognising the efforts of others shows your talent for leadership and teamwork, enabling you to build trust.
If someone doesn’t demonstrate their appreciation for a good deed, they appear selfish. Selfishness destroys trust.
Always do what you believe to be right:
If you act simply to seek approval, you automatically sacrifice your own values and beliefs. It means you don’t trust yourself.
By always doing what you believe is right, even when others disagree, they will respect your honesty.
When building trust, you do need to be willing to occasionally upset others.
People will not trust those who simply say whatever it is that they think others want to hear.
Admit your mistakes:
When you attempt to hide your mistakes, people know that you are being dishonest.
By being open you show your vulnerable side, and this helps build trust with other people.
This is because they perceive you to be more like them.
When all that a person sees is the ‘perfection’ you project, they will not trust you.
*Michelle Bakjac is an Adelaide-based psychologist, organisational consultant, coach, speaker and facilitator. She can be contacted at [email protected].
This article first appeared on the Bakjac Consulting website.
